Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Peter Hain: The average hourly rates paid for agency staff each year is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Agency 
			   Adecco  Acorn  Kelly 
			 1999 9.30 n/a n/a 
			 2000 9.80 n/a n/a 
			 2001 9.80 n/a n/a 
			 2002 10.29 8.81 n/a 
			 2003 10.80 8.81 n/a 
			 2004 12.07 10.35 11.28 
			 2005 n/a 9.73 11.28

Benefits

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many tenants living in  (a) social housing and  (b) the private rented sector (PRS) in (i) Edmonton, (ii) Enfield borough and (iii) Greater London are in receipt of housing benefit; how many in the PRS are in receipt of (A) single room rent and (B) local reference rent in each case; what the average shortfall of each is compared with actual average rent paid in each case; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. A breakdown of housing benefit claimants by tenure type is not available below regional level. Information on average shortfalls due to rent restrictions is not available.
	The most recent available information for case loads in the London GOR by tenure type, average benefit amounts, and details of those subject to single room rent (SRR) or local reference rent (LRR) are in the tables.
	
		
			  Housing benefit (HB) recipients by tenure type and average weekly amount of HB: London GOR, May 2004 
			  Tenure  Case load  Average weekly amount (£) 
			 All HB recipients 641,000 91.76 
			 Social tenants 525,000 83.74 
			 of which are local authority tenants 324,000 79.35 
			 of which are RSL tenants 201,000 90.81 
			 Private tenants 116,000 128.05 
		
	
	
		
			  Housing benefit (HB) private tenants( 1)  whose weekly amount of HB is less than their weekly eligible rent6 by whether they are subject to the Local Reference Rent (LRR) Scheme or the Single Room Rent (SRR) Scheme: London GOR, May 2004 
			   HB private tenants  Of which, have weekly amount HB less than their weekly eligible rent( 2) 
			 All 116,000 26,000 
			 SRR — — 
			 LRR 91,000 20,000 
			 Neither 25,000 6,000 
			 (1) Private tenants exclude Registered Social Landlords (RSL).  (2) Weekly eligible rent is after any non-dependant deductions.   Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and amounts to the nearest penny.  2. Figures are based on a one per cent sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.  3. HB figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.  4. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  5 "—" denotes nil/negligible.  6. HB may be less than eligible rent due to reasons other than rent restrictions.

Benefits

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2006,  Official Report, column 130-31W, to the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard), on incapacity benefit, if he will provide the figures collected by his Department since March.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested. The most recent available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of new incapacity benefit claimants ending their claim within six months 
			  Percentage 
			  Quarter  Pathways to Work pilot areas  Other areas 
			  Aged under 50   
			 April 2005 to June 2005 43 35 
			 July 2005 to September 2005 42 34 
			
			  Aged 50 and over   
			 April 2005 to June 2005 33 29 
			 July 2005 to September 2005 32 28 
			  Notes:  1. Current benefits data does not allow six month off-flow analysis after September 2005  2. Figures do not include a proportion of short-term incapacity benefit claims, which flow on and off between scan dates; the off-flows presented will be lower than actual rates, but trends over time will be consistent.   Source:  DWP—National Benefits Database.

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming incapacity benefit, broken down by quinquennial age bands.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance claimants by age group as at February 2006 
			   Number 
			 All ages 2,747,490 
			 Age not recorded 70 
			 16-19 40,370 
			 20-24 128,580 
			 25-29 151,820 
			 30-34 200,540 
			 35-39 269,660 
			 40-44 322,030 
			 45-49 346,700 
			 50-54 393,000 
			 55-59 540,840 
			 60-64 324,710 
			 65 and over 29,190 
			  Notes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Figures include all Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Incapacity Benefit credits-only cases. Source:DWP Information Directorate, WPLS, 100 per cent. data.

Child Support Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone calls to the Child Support Agency  (a) were received,  (b) received an engaged tone and  (c) were disconnected during the interactive response process for the period April 2002 to June 2006 for (i) all calls and (ii) calls relating to then cases being processed on the CS2 computer system.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many telephone calls to the Child Support Agency  (a) were received  (b) received an engaged tone and  (c) were disconnected during the interactive response process for the period April 2002 to June 2006 for (i) all calls and (ii) calls relating to the cases being processed on the CS2 computer system.
	The latest information is contained in the two following tables. Note that the CS2 computer system did not become operational until March 2003. Therefore it is not possible to provide data for the year 2002-03.
	Note also that point  (c) has been interpreted as referring to the total number of calls abandoned (for example, where the client does not have a National Insurance number to hand and hangs up to go and find it before calling back) or lost during the automated part of the process, as the Agency cannot disconnect a call once it is in the IVR system.
	Further information on the Agency's telephony performance is available in Table 16 of the latest edition of the Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics. A copy of this document is available in the House Library, as well as on the internet, at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp.
	The Agency has shown a significant and sustained improvement in telephony performance, with respect to waiting times and the percentage of calls answered. Specifically:
	In the quarter ending June 2006, the Agency answered 97% of telephone calls available to be answered, compared to 91% in the year ending March 2006.
	In the quarter ending June 2006, average waiting time for all calls was 24 seconds, down from 59 seconds in the year ending March 2006.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		
			  Telephony outcomes for calls relating to cases on both CS2 and CSCS, 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   April 2002 to March 2003  April 2003 to March 2004  April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to June 2006 
			 Attempted customer calls to both CS2 and CSCS numbers 4,145,000 6,051,000 5,738,000 5,352,000 1,246,000 
			 Calls for which outcome not recorded 45,000 145,000 48,000 42,000 2,000 
			 Calls for which outcome recorded 4,100,000 5,906,000 5,689,000 5,310,000 1,244,000 
			  Of which:  
			 Calls that received an engaged/busy tone (1)— 498,000 126,000 50,000 30,000 
			 Calls abandoned/lost during the IVR process. n/a 362,000 320,000 308,000 84,000 
			 (1) It is not possible to break down ineffective calls into those that did or did not receive an engaged tone for old system calls in 2002-03.  Notes:  1. Data is presented for calls made regarding cases on the new system (CS2) and the old system (CSCS) combined.  2. "Attempted customer calls" excludes calls attempted outside working hours.  3. "Calls for which outcome not recorded" are those that were received but for which, due to data problems, the eventual outcome was not recorded. The volume of such calls has decreased significantly in the last three years as management information systems have improved.  4. "Calls for which outcome recorded" are those which were received and for which there is management information to track the eventual outcome.  5. IVR denotes the automated touch tone part of the process where customers enter their details via the telephone key pad. Once callers have cleared this part of the process, they enter a queue to be answered by a member of CSA staff. Note that there is no IVR process on the old system.  6. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Departmental Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Jim Murphy: The Department's policy is to first source any requirements for temporary administrative staff from the local Jobcentre Plus office. If this is unsuccessful we acquire agency staff through a framework agreement led by the Prison Service. Under these arrangements the average hourly rate by agency in 2005-06 was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Reed (1)13.56 
			 Hays 10.44 
			 (1) Mainly London based staff 
		
	
	Information on earlier years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts were awarded by his Department to Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 1997; what the  (a) value and  (b) duration of each such contract was; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts with Bird and Bird Solicitors 
			  Description  Start date  End date  Value (£) 
			 Medical Services (Impact '97—Property issues) 10 October 1997 25 September 2003 69,467.92 
			 Extension of medical services contract to cover DTI 16 January 1998 10 July 1998 22,307.69 
			 Estates contractual issues 13 February 1998 9 February 2000 76,821.27 
			 Accommodation and Office Services Procurement Advice 12 November 1998 17 November 1999 31,402.55 
			 War Pensions Agency: Ilford Park Polish Home 18 February 1999 10 May 1999 4,819.27 
			 IT commercials (Accord) 29 April 1999 9 June 1999 9,905.74 
			 Contract Change Advice 27 September 2000 27 December 2000 2,115.00 
			 Medical Services (Impact '97) commercials 13 February 2001 15 February 2001 1,369.58 
			 IT commercials—Accord Contract Review 21 November 2002 10 March 2003 42,173.08 
			 Warbreck House, Blackpool 16 May 2002 6 January 2003 881.25 
			 Dinerth Road Colwyn Bay—Renewal 7 January 2003 6 May 2003 587.50 
			 Commercials—Disaggregation of Contracts 7 January 2003 2 April 2003 28,883.85 
			 Resource Planning 5 March 2003 27 June 2003 30,599.18 
			 Web Portal and Hosting Agreement 2 July 2003 20 October 2003 14,119.42 
			 Medical services provision project 20 November 2003 20 July 2006 888,370.44 
			 IT commercials—Office Infrastracture 18 December 2003 5 March 2004 9,320.75 
			 IT commercials—accommodating supplier's equipment 4 December 2003 2 February 2004 10,954.62 
			 Office Services Retender 22 March 2005 5 July 2006 43,475.00 
			 Medical Services Contract Management 18 March 2005 23 June 2006 78,509.99 
			 IT commercials—Operating System Upgrade 7 June 2005 — 2,741.12 
			 Office Services Retender 2 June 2005 — 470,388.77 
			 Logistic Service Integrator—commercials 23 November 2005 6 December 2005 2,255.35 
			 Total — — 1,841,469.34 
			  Note:DWP was created in 2001 and earlier figures relate to the ex-DSS.

Disability Living Allowance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Gateshead and Sunderland include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the  (a) highest rate,  (b) middle rate and  (c) lowest rate.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Vivien Hopkins:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Gateshead and Sunderland include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the (a) highest rate, (b) middle rate and (c) lowest rate.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service. In his absence, I am replying.
	The information available is in the following table:
	
		
			  Disability living allowance, cases in payment, with a care component and medical condition of learning difficulty, as at February 2006 
			Rate 
			  Local authority  All  Highest  Middle  Lowest 
			 Gateshead 680 190 340 150 
			 Sunderland 1,080 320 580 180 
			  Notes:1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.3. Where the claimant is eligible for both care and mobility components, the disabling condition associated with the mobility component is shown here Where more than one disability Is present only the main disabling condition is recorded.4. The number of claimants does not equate to the number of households as there may be more than one person in a household with learning difficulties claiming DLA.5. Figures exclude cases where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.6. Rate of care component refers to rate in payment Source:DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

New Deal

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) first-time participants and  (b) repeat participants were on each new deal programme in each quarter of the last three calendar years; and what the unit cost per participant was in each case.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 11 September 2006
	Information on the unit costs per first time and repeat participant on each new deal programme in each quarter of the last three calendar years is not available.
	The available information on the number of first time and repeat participants on each new deal programme, in each quarter of the last three calendar years, is in the tables.
	
		
			  New deal for young people 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 January to March 2003 104,110 65,690 38,420 
			 April to June 2003 104,440 65,010 39,430 
			 July to September 2003 104,590 65,000 39,590 
			 October to December 2003 96,230 59,410 36,820 
			 January to March 2004 101,220 63,760 37,460 
			 April to June 2004 97,770 61,600 36,170 
			 July to September 2004 92,900 58,500 34,400 
			 October to December 2004 84,550 53,080 31,470 
			 January to March 2005 90,860 58,200 32,660 
			 April to June 2005 92,010 58,640 33,370 
			 July to September 2005 93,220 59,350 33,870 
			 October to December 2005 89,040 55,880 33,160 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal 25 plus 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 January to March 2003 70,130 46,240 23,890 
			 April to June 2003 68,780 46,230 22,550 
			 July to September 2003 65,070 44,080 20,990 
			 October to December 2003 62,160 41,410 20,750 
			 January to March 2004 59,940 39,260 20,680 
			 April to June 2004 58,770 37,930 20,840 
			 July to September 2004 59,730 38,320 21,410 
			 October to December 2004 58,880 37,230 21,650 
			 January to March 2005 58,280 36,790 21,490 
			 April to June 2005 55,730 34,830 20,900 
			 July to September 2005 52,280 32,350 19,930 
			 October to December 2005 50,470 30,810 19,660 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal for lone parents 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 January to March 2003 89,160 64,550 24,610 
			 April to June 2003 90,360 63,860 26,500 
			 July to September 2003 95,890 66,650 29,240 
			 October to December 2003 94,390 64,750 29,640 
			 January to March 2004 100,170 66,750 33,420 
			 April to June 2004 94,160 61,730 32,430 
			 July to September 2004 89,720 57,400 32,320 
			 October to December 2004 83,850 52,410 31,440 
			 January to March 2005 83,830 50,350 33,480 
			 April to June 2005 78,720 46,360 32,360 
			 July to September 2005 76,480 43,970 32,510 
			 October to December 2005 71,370 40,810 30,560 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal 50 plus 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 January to March 2004 11,290 11,290 0 
			 April to June 2004 18,360 18,330 30 
			 July to September 2004 26,340 26,270 70 
			 October to December 2004 32,540 32,420 120 
			 January to March 2005 38,280 38,060 220 
			 April to June 2005 42,970 42,620 350 
			 July to September 2005 46,820 46,350 470 
			 October to December 2005 50,250 49,640 610 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal for disabled people 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 January to March 2003 39,570 37,510 2,060 
			 April to June 2003 45,040 42,630 2,410 
			 July to September 2003 51,780 48,880 2,900 
			 October to December 2003 55,890 52,630 3,260 
			 January to March 2004 62,810 58,930 3,880 
			 April to June 2004 72,110 67,110 5,000 
			 July to September 2004 82,780 76,660 6,120 
			 October to December 2004 89,830 82,720 7,110 
			 January to March 2005 98,450 90,220 8,230 
			 April to June 2005 106,970 97,640 9,330 
			 July to September 2005 116,120 105,700 10,420 
			 October to December 2005 123,490 112,110 11,380 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal for partners 
			  Participants in each quarter 
			   Total  First-time  Repeat 
			 April to June 2004 530 530 0 
			 July to September 2004 1,140 1,140 0 
			 October to December 2004 1,600 1,590 10 
			 January to March 2005 2,110 2,100 10 
			 April to June 2005 2,510 2,480 30 
			 July to September 2005 2,640 2,610 30 
			 October to December 2005 2,720 2,700 20 
			  Notes  1. Latest complete calendar year data is to December 2005.  2. People are included in the tables as participating in a particular quarter if they are recorded as participating at any point in that quarter. People participating on the programme in more than one quarter are included in the tables in each relevant quarter.  3. Earliest available data for new deal for partners is April 2004.  4. Earliest available data for new deal 50 plus is January 2004.   Source: DWP Information Directorate.

Pension Credit

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people took up pension credit in East Dunbartonshire in  (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

James Purnell: The number of households in receipt of Pension Credit in East Dumbartonshire at February in each of the years requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Household Recipients 
			 February 2004 2,000 
			 February 2005 2,320 
			 February 2006 2.470 
			  Notes:1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the 2005 postcode directory and are therefore based on the 2005 parliamentary boundaries.3. Household recipients are those people who claim Pension Credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source:DWP 100 per cent. Department for Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Pension Credit

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming pension credit in East Dunbartonshire.

James Purnell: The most recent number of households receiving pension credit in the East Dunbartonshire constituency are in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Household Recipients 
			 May 2006 2,460 
			  Notes:1. These figures are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the GMS scan at 26th May 2006. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.3 Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.4. Household recipients are those people who claim Pension Credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source:DWP 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (CMS) Pension Credit scan taken as at 26lh May 2006.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are projected to reach state pension age in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2067-68 on the assumption that Parliament legislates to raise state pension age in the way proposed in the Pensions White Paper Security in retirement: Towards a New Pension System and that no further changes to state pension age occur.

James Purnell: The answer is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number projected to reach state pension age in the United Kingdom in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2067-68 under the White Paper proposals 
			  Financial year  Total 
			 2007-08 714,000 
			 2008-09 702,000 
			 2009-10 691,000 
			 2010-11 504,000 
			 2011-12 557,000 
			 2012-13 556,000 
			 2013-14 530,000 
			 2014-15 515,000 
			 2015-16 505,000 
			 2016-17 500,000 
			 2017-18 502,000 
			 2018-19 503,000 
			 2019-20 500,000 
			 2020-21 686,000 
			 2021-22 708,000 
			 2022-23 732,000 
			 2023-24 745,000 
			 2024-25 377,000 
			 2025-26 379,000 
			 2026-27 777,000 
			 2027-28 801,000 
			 2028-29 821,000 
			 2029-30 838,000 
			 2030-31 848,000 
			 2031-32 846,000 
			 2032-33 845,000 
			 2033-34 832,000 
			 2034-35 412,000 
			 2035-36 409,000 
			 2036-37 803,000 
			 2037-38 805,000 
			 2038-39 791,000 
			 2039-40 757,000 
			 2040-41 719,000 
			 2041-42 698,000 
			 2042-43 680,000 
			 2043-44 664,000 
			 2044-45 332,000 
			 2045-46 334,000 
			 2046-47 697,000 
			 2047-48 736,000 
			 2048-49 750,000 
			 2049-50 737,000 
			 2050-51 743,000 
			 2051-52 763,000 
			 2052-53 793,000 
			 2053-54 801,000 
			 2054-55 806,000 
			 2055-56 823,000 
			 2056-57 819,000 
			 2057-58 819,000 
			 2058-59 830,000 
			 2059-60 827,000 
			 2060-61 808,000 
			 2061-62 797,000 
			 2062-63 785,000 
			 2063-64 780,000 
			 2064-65 785,000 
			 2065-66 774,000 
			 2066-67 763,000 
			 2067-68 748,000 
			  Notes:  1. These estimates were calculated using data from 2004-based national population projections for the United Kingdom made by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD).  2. Numbers for males and females may not add to total number because of rounding.  3. These estimates are of people resident in the UK at the time of reaching state pension age (SPA). They Include those migrating to the UK before SPA and who are resident in the UK on reaching SPA, some of whom may have no entitlement to UK state pension. The estimates do not include those who emigrate from the UK before SPA and reach SPA outside the UK, some of whom may have entitlement to UK state pension benefits.

Rent Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many training days have been provided to rent officers in each year for which figures are available; and at what cost to his Department.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of training days provided to rent officers in England and the related costs 
			  Financial Year (1 April to 31 March)  Number of rent officer training days  Cost to DWP (£) 
			 2003-04(1) 1,447.0 229,116 
			 2004-05 1,169.0 338,264 
			 2005-06 612.5 168,514 
			 (1) The costs for 2003-04 fell to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as the Rent Service did not transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until 1 April 2004. 
		
	
	The Rent Officer Service in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly. The Rent Registration Service in Scotland is part of the Scottish Executive. As such, no training costs would have been met by DWP.

Social Fund

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social fund applications from each county were processed in each of the six months before the centralisation in Bristol; and how many have been processed in each month since the centralisation.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many social fund applications from each county were processed in each of the six months before the centralisation in Bristol, and how many have been processed in each month since centralisation. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	As part of the national programme to centralise the processing of Social Fund applications, we are moving all the Social Fund processing work for the South West region to Bristol. The work is being moved in phases and different counties are at different stages of this process. It is envisaged that this work will be completed in 2007.
	Social Fund payments encompass a variety of different types of payment, including Crisis Loans, Budgeting Loans, Community Care Grants, Funeral Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grants.
	The following tables illustrate the movement of work to date and the number of claims processed in the months either side of the transfer to Bristol.
	Whilst the tables show that the numbers of claims being processed initially fell immediately following the transfer of work, which has meant that some customers have experienced delays in receiving payments, I am pleased to report that this position has now recovered.
	I hope this is helpful.
	 Number of Social Fund applications processed by county in the South West Region.
	 Cornwall
	
		
			  Number of Social Fund applications processed for Cornwall customers since November 2005 
			   Number 
			 November 2005 1,836 
			 December 2005 1,486 
			 January 2006 1,491 
			 February 2006 1,473 
			 March 2006 1,637 
			 April 2006 1,275 
			 May 2006 1,118 
			 June 2006 1,515 
			 July 2006 1,474 
			  Note:  Social Fund work for Cornwall was transferred to Bristol from the end of April 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Cornwall. 
		
	
	 Devon
	
		
			  Budgeting Loan applications processed from May 2005 
			   Number 
			 May 2005 1,896 
			 June 2005 1,736 
			 July 2005 1,864 
			 August 2005 1,321 
			 September 2005 1,363 
			 October 2005 2,306 
			 November 2005 1,608 
			 December 2005 2,152 
			 January 2006 1,343 
			 February 2006 1,432 
			 March 2006 1,549 
			 April 2006 1,418 
			 May 2006 1,676 
			 June 2006 1,860 
			 July 2006 1,943 
			  Note:  The processing of Budgeting Loans for Devon customers transferred to Bristol South at the end of October 2005. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Devon. 
		
	
	
		
			  'Other' Social Fund applications for Devon customers (Crisis Loans, Community Care Grants, Funeral Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grants) 
			   Number 
			 May 2005 2,915 
			 June 2005 3,020 
			 July 2005 2,892 
			 August 2005 2,735 
			 September 2005 2,893 
			 October 2005 2,955 
			 November 2005 3,095 
			 December 2005 2,879 
			 January 2006 3,347 
			 February 2006 2,952 
			 March 2006 3,515 
			 April 2006 2,477 
			 May 2006 2,899 
			 June 2006 3,138 
			 July 2006 2,805 
			  Note:  The processing of other (Crisis Loans, Community Care Grants, Funeral Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grants) Social Fund payments transferred to Bristol on 5 June 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Devon. 
		
	
	 Gloucestershire
	
		
			  Number of Social Fund applications processed for Gloucestershire customers since August 2005 
			   Number 
			 August 2005 1,585 
			 September 2005 1,638 
			 October 2005 1,600 
			 November 2005 2,006 
			 December 2005 1,661 
			 January 2006 1,486 
			 February 2006 1,228 
			 March 2006 1,703 
			 April 2006 1,313 
			 May 2006 1,602 
			 June 2006 1,725 
			 July 2006 1,963 
			  Note:  The processing of social fund applications for Gloucestershire customers transferred to Bristol from the end of January 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Gloucestershire. 
		
	
	 Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire (including Swindon)
	Social Fund applications for people living in Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire (including Swindon) have yet to be transferred to Bristol (exact dates are yet to be finalised). The numbers of claims processed in the last six months are as follows:
	
		
			   Somerset  Dorset  Swindon and Wiltshire 
			 March 2006 1,799 3,179 1,839 
			 April 2006 1,493 2,891 1,546 
			 May 2006 1,694 3,264 1,901 
			 June 2006 2,072 3,319 1,784 
			 July 2006 1,789 3,067 1,943 
			 August 2006 1,942 2,901 1,844 
		
	
	 West of England (Bristol and South Gloucestershire)
	
		
			  Work centralised in Bristol South office at the end of March 2006 
			   Number 
			 October 2005 3,940 
			 November 2005 4,334 
			 December 2005 4,425 
			 January 2006 3,841 
			 February 2006 3,613 
			 March 2006 4,684 
			 April 2006 3,715 
			 May 2006 3,885 
			 June 2006 4,236 
			 July 2006 4,404 
			 August 2006 10,027 
			  Note:  From August 2006—figure shown also includes all work from Cornwall, Devon and the remainder of Gloucestershire.

Welfare Modernisation Fund

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funds were allocated to the Welfare Modernisation Fund in each year since 2001-02; what draw-downs were made in each year; how much has been allocated for 2006-07; and if he will make statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 11 September 2006
	Funds allocated to the Welfare Modernisation Fund (WMF) and draw-downs made by the Department are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Funding  Draw-down 
			 2001-02 672 636 
			 2002-03 786 822 
			 2003-04(1) 900 1,040 
			 2004-05 946 946 
			 2005-06 601 461 
			 Total 3,905 3,905 
			 (1) Draw-down in excess of funding made with Treasury approval in order to support in-year spending plans. 
		
	
	The Welfare Modernisation Fund ceased to exist at the end of 2005-06, at which point all available funds had been drawn down. There are, therefore, no allocations relating to the WMF for 2006-07.
	Although specific WMF funding has been exhausted, the Department's modernisation programme continues, funded from other available departmental budgets.

Welfare Reform

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what regulation-making powers are contained under Part 1 clauses and schedules of the Welfare Reform Bill;
	(2)  how many regulation-making powers are contained in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 11 September 2006
	We calculate that there are 180 regulation making powers in the Welfare Reform Bill.
	Part 1 of the Bill and its associated schedules contain proposed regulation-making powers in the clauses shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Regulation-making powers contained under Part 1 clauses of the Welfare Reform Bill 
			  Clause  Clause  Clause  Clause  Clause  Clause 
			 2(1)(a) and (c) 4(3) 8(5) 12(3) 16(2) 19(4) 
			 2(2)(c) 4(4)(c) 9(1) 13(1) 16(3) 19(5) 
			 2(3)(c) 4(5)(c) 10(1) 13(2) 16(4) 21(1) in: "period of limited capability" and "week" 
			 2(4)(a), (b) and (c) 4(6)(a), (b) and (c) 10(3) 13(4) 17(1) 21(2) 
			 3(1)(c) 5(2)(a) and (b) 11(1) 14(1) 17(3) 21(3) 
			 3(2)(a), (b), (c) and (d) 5(3) 11(3) 14(4) 18(1) 25(2) 
			 3(3) 7 11(7) 15(2) 19(2) — 
			 4(2)(a) 8(1) 12(1) 16(1) 19(3) — 
		
	
	
		
			  Regulation-making powers contained under Schedule 1 
			  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph 
			 1(4)(a) and (b) 4(1)(a) and (c) 6(1)(b) 6(4)(a) and (b) 6(7) 
			 3(1)(a) 4(3) 6(2) 6(5) in (b) and (d) in "couple" 6(8) 
			 3(2) 4(4) 6(3) 6(5) in "education" and "remunerative work" — 
		
	
	
		
			  Regulation-making powers contained under Schedule 2 
			  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph 
			 1(a), (b) and (c) 4(2) 8(1) 11 15(2) 
			 2 5 8(2) 12  
			 3 6 9 14  
			 4(1) 7(1)(a), (b) and (c) 10 15(1)  
		
	
	
		
			  Regulation-making powers contained under Schedule 3 (amending or extending powers in other legislation) 
			  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph 
			 1 (section 6(9) of the Child Support Act 1991) 4(6) (s.71 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) s.5(3) (s.3 of the Jobseeker's Act 1995) 
			 2 (s.24(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) 4(7) (s.73 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(4) (s.11 of the Social Security Act 1998) 
			 3(2) (s.22(5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992) 4(14) (s. 124 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(5) (s.27 of the Social Security Act 1998) 
			 4(2) (s.1 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(15) (s.125 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(6) (s.28 of the Social Security Act 1998) 
			 4(3) (s.2AA of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(17) (s.132 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 7 (s.72 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999) 
			 4(4) (s.5 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(18) (s.150(7) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) — 
			 4(5) (s.15A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 5(2) (s.1 of the Jobseeker's Act 1995) — 
		
	
	
		
			  Regulation-making powers contained under in Schedule 4 
			  Paragraph  Paragraph  Paragraph 
			 1(a)and (b) 4(2) 7(a),(b), (c), (d) and (e) 
			 2(a), (b), (c) and (d) 5(2) 8(1) 
			 3 6(1)(a) and (b) 9 
		
	
	In addition, there are a number of provisions which are intended to specify what must be included in the regulations or which illustrate the potential use of the powers.

Winter Fuel Payments

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in winter fuel payments to people over 60 in Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush constituency in 2005.

James Purnell: A total of £4.2 million was paid as winter fuel payments to people over 60 in Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush constituency in 2005-06.
	(This figure is rounded to the nearest £100,000).
	[Continued in Column39W]

Digital Television

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her assessment is of the level of awareness of the digital switchover in  (a) the South West and  (b) Forest of Dean constituency.

Shaun Woodward: According to Digital UK, in Q2 2006, awareness of digital switchover in the ITV regions covering the South West was as follows:
	
		
			  Q2 switchover awareness 
			  ITV region  Percentage 
			 West country 77 
			 West (1)75 
			 Central 66 
			 (1) Small base size, to be viewed as indicative only. 
		
	
	Information is not available by parliamentary constituency.

Sports Funding

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has invested in sport in each of the last five years; and how much of that funding was targeted towards children and young people.

Richard Caborn: DCMS funding for sport is primarily channelled through Sport England and UK Sport. The following table shows the funding for these bodies over the last five years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   UK Sport  Sport England 
			   Exchequer  Lottery  Exchequer  Lottery 
			 2001-02 16,381,000 25,442,000 43,162,000 237,583,000 
			 2002-03 15,513,000 21,463,000 80,324,000 223,742,000 
			 2003-04 23,018,000 20,041,000 44,572,000 202,531,000 
			 2004-05 23,089,000 21,055,000 74,455,000 189,899,000 
			 2005-06 29,305,000 19,000,000 78,963,000 175,000,000 
			 Total 2001-06 107,306,000 107,001,000 321,476,000 1,028,755,000 
		
	
	UK Sport is the Government's lead agency for high performance sport. It is charged with leading British sport to world-class success. Its investments are primarily directed at sports and their high performance performers who compete or have the potential to compete in international sporting competitions. In addition to running the World Class Pathway Programme, UK Sport is responsible for the Talented Athletes Sponsorship Scheme (TASS), which is targeting £17 million over 2004-08 in young talent, primarily between the ages of 16 and 25. TASS 2012, a strand of TASS launched in 2005, targets funding at talented 12 to 18-year-olds with potential to win a medal in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
	DCMS has contributed £193 million over 2002-06 to the £459 million Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) Strategy run jointly with DfES. £113 million of the £193 million has been channelled through Sport England and £80 million has been allocated to School Sport Partnerships directly. This funding is targeted directly at children and young people. See the following table.
	
		
			  DCMS PESSCL funding 
			   £ 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 43,000,000 
			 2003-04 67,000,000 
			 2004-05 38,000,000 
			 2005-06 45,000,000 
		
	
	Significant lottery funding is also spent on DCMS priorities for sport and physical activity through the New Opportunities for PE and Sport (NOPES), the Active England Programme, and School Sports Co-ordinators. NOPES and School Sports Co-ordinators primarily benefit children and young people, whereas Active England benefits the whole community. The following table sets out the funding allocated through each of these programmes over the last five years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   NOPES  Active England( 1)  School Sports Coordinators 
			 2001-02 10,596,800 — — 
			 2002-03 72,921,857 — 5,556,286 
			 2003-04 131,359,522 — 8,193,277 
			 2004-05 262,961,886 57,095,000 7,475,404 
			 2005-06 42,143,693 17,340,289 15,664,862 
			 (1) Sport England has also allocated £31.5 million to Active England.

Tourism

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists visited England in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The following tables set out the number of visits to England from (i) overseas and (ii) the UK where this included an overnight stay.
	
		
			  Inbound visits to England by year 
			  million 
			   Visits (all) 
			 1997 19.6 
			 1998 19.9 
			 1999 21.5 
			 2000 21.5 
			 2001 19.3 
			 2002 20.5 
			 2003 21.2 
			 2004 23.6 
			 2005 25.3 
			  Source:International Passenger Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Domestic overnight trips in England by year 
			  million 
			   Visits (all) 
			 1997 125.6 
			 1998 115.4 
			 1999 137.7 
			 2000 140.4 
			 2001 131.9 
			 2002 134.9 
			 2003 121.3 
			 2004 101.4 
			 2005 111.2 
			  Source:UK Tourism Survey (National Tourist Boards).The methodology for the UKTS changed in 2005 meaning that comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. This change occurred due to concerns with the quality of 2004 data, which is thought to be an under-representation of the true position. 
		
	
	In addition, a substantial number of day visits are made to, or within, England. The last Leisure Day Visits Survey in 2002-03 recorded a total of over 900 million tourism day visits to destinations in England.

UK Film Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by the UK Film Council in  (a) south east England,  (b) Brighton and Hove and  (c) West Sussex in each of the last five years; and which projects have been supported.

Richard Caborn: The UK Film Council disperses a combination of Lottery and Grant In Aid (GIA) funding to each of the English regions through nine Regional Screen Agencies. Screen South is the agency tasked with supporting film activity in the South East of England. In each of the last five years the UK Film Council has invested in Screen South as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   GIA  Lottery  Total 
			 2001-02 35,632 67,733 103,365 
			 2002-03 432,000 447,267 879,267 
			 2003-04 432,000 405,000 837,000 
			 2004-05 432,000 305,000 737,000 
			 2005-06 432,000 305,000 737,000 
		
	
	In each of the last five years Screen South has made lottery awards of:
	
		
			   Lottery awards (£) 
			 2001-02 n/a 
			 2002-03 256,671.65 
			 2003-04 260,836.00 
			 2004-05 244,025.11 
			 2005-06 242,440.00 
			  Note:Between 2001-02, the regional investment fund for England was being set up, hence the reason why we do not have any figures available for this period of time. 
		
	
	In addition, the difference between the lottery awarded to Screen South by UK Film Council and that given out by them can be accounted for by the time lag between funds being given by the UK Film Council and eventually drawn down by successful applicants to Screen South. It can also be attributed to the overheads of the organisation. The UK Film Council's lottery awards to Screen South provide the core funding for the organisation and enable it to attract and administer funds from a wide range of sources.
	Specifically, Screen South has invested in West Sussex as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   GIA  Lottery  Total 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 — 10,500 10,500 
			 2003-04 — 8,447 8,447 
			 2004-05 — 18,200 18,200 
			 2005-06 — 20,125 20,125 
		
	
	And in Brighton and Hove as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   GIA  Lottery  Total 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 90,000 63,720 153,720 
			 2003-04 73,000 47,030 120,030 
			 2004-05 58,000 58,106 116,106 
			 2005-06 58,000 74,850 132,850 
		
	
	A detailed breakdown of the projects supported by Screen East in the South East Region and in Brighton and Hove and West Sussex is included with this response. It is important to note that Brighton and Hove is a cultural hub of the region, and that the density of awards made in this area reflects the concentration of film making activity and film makers submitting applications. A short note is also included outlining the two projects receiving direct Grant in Aid investment.
	The UK Film Council has also made lottery awards, both directly and through its delegates Skillset and First Light, to organisations and film makers based in the South East. In each of the last five years these amounted to:
	In Brighton:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Lottery awards 
			 2001-02 407,266.00 
			 2002-03 389,642.00 
			 2003-04 1,004,589.00 
			 2004-05 1,908,038.00 
		
	
	Beyond detailing the two projects in Brighton, which were individual and specific to the area, it has not been possible within the time or cost limit to analyse the regional impact of Grant In Aid funds. This is because such funds are invested in schemes and activities which take place across the region, or in the case of the British Film Institute, the whole of the UK.
	I am arranging for a detailed breakdown of the projects supported by this funding to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Policy Development Grant

Greg Hands: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what plans the Electoral Commission has to review the allocation of policy development grant following the 2005 general election results; and what the payment was to each eligible party in 2006-07.

Peter Viggers: Policy Development Grant (PDG) is payable by the Electoral Commission, in accordance with a scheme made by order of the Secretary of State following the submission of recommendations by the Commission, to registered parties which have at least two Members of the House of Commons who have taken the Oath and are not disqualified from sitting or voting in the House.
	The Commission is required to keep the terms of the scheme under review, and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State for any variation it considers appropriate. Following the 2005 General Election, the Ulster Unionist Party ceased to be eligible for PDG with effect from 1 April 2006 as it no longer had the requisite qualifying number of Members in the House. The Electoral Commission recommended a revised scheme to the Secretary of State which came into effect on 1 April 2006. Under the new scheme, the same overall sum as under the previous scheme is distributed between the seven remaining eligible parties.
	PDG is paid in arrears against claims submitted by eligible parties in respect of qualifying expenditure. The 2006-07 allocations and payments to date are:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Party  2006-07 allocation  Total payments to date  Balance remaining 
			 Conservative and Unionist Party 457,997 223,934 234,063 
			 Democratic Unionist Party 155,786 64,666 91,120 
			 Labour Party 457,997 0 457,997 
			 Liberal Democrats 457,997 149,775 308,222 
			 Plaid Cymru 151,894 54,985 96,909 
			 Scottish National Party 162,542 117,774 44,769 
			 Social Democratic and Labour Party 155,786 0 155,786 
			 Total 1,999,999 611,135 1,388,864 
			  Note:All figures rounded to the nearest pound.

Departmental Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what average hourly rate her Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Harriet Harman: The Department has contracted with Kelly Services for the provision of agency staff since 2001. Prior to this date the Department did not have a national contract in place and therefore management information was not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information regarding the average rates of any other employment agencies used in the various parts of the Department is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department uses agency staff to fill clerical staff vacancies that are urgently required, and where it has been difficult to recruit permanent staff through normal processes. The Department also uses agency staff to fill temporary positions.
	The following table provides average hourly rates for the years mentioned:
	
		
			  Kelly Services 
			   £ 
			 2001 10.85 
			 2002 11.03 
			 2003 11.33 
			 2004 11.49 
			 2005 11.73 
			 2006 11.20

Disability Living Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many individuals were successful in their appeals for the payment of disability living allowance at medical appeal tribunals in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

Vera Baird: The information you have asked for is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 1: Great Britain, number of successful appeals for disability living allowance, January 2003 to December 2005 
			  January to December each year  Appeals cleared in favour of appellant 
			 2003 36,850 
			 2004 38,170 
			 2005 35,900 
			  Notes:  1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available.  2. Cases transferred onto the new appeals system G2 may not have been updated on GAPS.  3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  4. These data are drawn from management information and should not be used in conjunction with simple statistics drawn from the benefit administration systems.  Source:  100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System (2 October 2006).

Disability Living Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many individuals diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome were successful in appealing against disqualification from disability living allowance in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

Vera Baird: The information you have asked for is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 1: DLA new claims, with disabling condition recorded as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, successful at the Appeal stage, 2003, 2004 and 2005 
			   Caseload 
			 2003 600 
			 2004 900 
			 2005 800 
			  Notes:1. Figures are from the 5 per cent. sample data and therefore subject to sampling variation.2. Data are rated in line with WPLS figures then rounded to the nearest 100. These data are from sample statistics drawn from the benefit administration systems and should not be used in conjunction with the data from the Generic Appeals System (GAPS) data. Source: 100 per cent. WPLS data and 5 per cent. sample data.

Medical Appeal Tribunals

John Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many medical appeal tribunals were held in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

Vera Baird: The information you have asked for is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Appeals received for AA, DLA IIDB, IB and SDA, January 2003 to December 2005 
			  January to December each year  AA  DLA  IIDB  SDA  IB  Total 
			 2003 9,910 83,590 17,160 470 63,220 174,340 
			 2004 8,680 87,180 12,910 260 61,530 170,550 
			 2005 7,340 82,230 11,810 210 65,150 166,740 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Appeals cleared at hearing for AA, DLA, IIDB, IB and SDA, January 2003 to December 2005 
			  January to December each year  AA  DLA  IIDB  SDA  IB  Total 
			 2003 7,720 69,850 14,810 460 46,480 139,310 
			 2004 6,990 75,080 10,960 240 45,760 139,020 
			 2005 5,670 71,370 9,480 170 48,750 135,440 
			  Notes:  1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available.  2. Cases transferred onto the new appeals system G2 may not have been updated on GAPS.  3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  4. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 5. These data are drawn from management information and should not be used in conjunction with sample statistics drawn from the benefit administration systems.   Source:  100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System (4 October 2006).

Child Poverty

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children were living in poverty in  (a) Scotland and  (b) Dunfermline and West Fife in each year since 1997.

David Cairns: The following table presents the number and proportion of children living in low income households in Scotland from 1996-97 to 2004-05. The relative low income measure compares against the median of the same year. The absolute measure compares against the median in the baseline year of 1996-97, uprated to remove the effects of inflation. Data are available at Scotland level only, not by constituency.
	Figures are produced annually and estimates for 2005-06 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Proportion and number of children in low income households, below 60 per cent. of GB Median Income 
			   Absolute  Relative 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs  Before Housing Costs  After Housing Costs 
			   Percentage  Number (Thousand)  Percentage  Number (Thousand)  Percentage  Number (Thousand)  Percentage  Number (Thousand) 
			 1996-97 29 320 33 370 29 320 33 370 
			 1997-98 27 300 30 330 29 310 30 330 
			 1998-99 25 270 29 310 27 290 30 320 
			 1999-00 22 230 26 280 26 280 30 330 
			 2000-01 18 190 21 220 24 250 29 310 
			 2001-02 14 150 17 170 25 260 30 320 
			 2002-03 13 130 16 170 23 240 26 280 
			 2003-04 11 110 15 160 22 220 25 260 
			 2004-05 10 100 13 130 19 190 23 240

Departmental Expenditure

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on (i) electricity use and (ii) water and sewerage services in each year since 1997.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999; since that date the Office has spent the following on electricity use and wager and sewage.
	
		
			(£) 
			   Electricity  Water and Sewage 
			 1999-2000(1) 11,855 1,067 
			 2000-01 22,807 3,656 
			 2001-02 19,526 4,221 
			 2002-03 28,439 7,018 
			 2003-04 23,703 11,699 
			 2004-05 23,372 13,666 
			 2005-06 21,650 9,867 
			 (1) Part year

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, at what times of day public information programmes have been scheduled in each of the past three years.

Patrick McFadden: pursuant to the reply, 14 June 2006, Official Report, c. 1247-48W
	I regret that the figure given for the number of night time transmissions in the table showing the broadcast television ratios of public information films for the period April 2003 to March 2004 was incorrect. The figure given was 4,261.
	The correct information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  April 2003 to March 2004 
			  Time  Percentage of films shown  Number of transmissions 
			 Breakfast (6.00-9.29) 14 14,705 
			 Morning (9.30-11.59) 10 10,938 
			 Afternoon (12.00-17.14) 16 17,107 
			 Evening (17.15-23.59) 18 19,045 
			 Night time (00.01-5.59 40 42,611

Social Exclusion Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants worked in the Social Exclusion Unit in each year since 1997; and what the budget was of the Social Exclusion Unit in each year.

Hilary Armstrong: holding answer 18 September 2006
	Staff figures for civil servants only are not available for the Social Exclusion Unit. However, total headcount, which includes seconded and casual staff, is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Total headcount 
			 1997 12 
			 1998 21 
			 1999 35 
			 2000 43 
			 2001 47 
			 2002 57 
			 2003 59 
			 2004 62 
			 2005 66 
			 2006 47 
			  Note:  All figures include staff on loan and secondment 
		
	
	For details of the Social Exclusion Unit's expenditure since 1997, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Local Government (Mr. Woolas), on 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 94W.

House Staff

Sarah Teather: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff were employed by the House in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) ethnicity and  (b) sex.

Nick Harvey: The numbers of staff by ethnicity and sex at 31 March in each year was as follows:
	
		
			   Ethnicity  Sex 
			   Total  White  Asian  Black  Other  Unknown  Male  Female 
			 2006 1,627 1,286 91 161 48 41 866 761 
			 2005 1,571 1,256 94 154 34 33 861 710 
			 2004 1,520 1,085 79 138 36 182 811 709 
			 2003 1,497 1,157 50 129 16 145 797 700 
			 2002 1,443 1,081 40 95 16 211 762 681 
			 2001 1,485 1,089 47 110 13 226 836 649 
			 2000 1,421 1,043 44 105 11 218 760 661 
			 1999 1,394 968 30 71 5 320 744 650 
			 1998 1,392 986 26 72 10 298 755 637 
			 1997 1,405 967 27 69 9 333 791 614

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how much was spent by his Office in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad for (i) Ministers, (ii) staff and (iii) other persons in each year since 2001-02;
	(2)  how much was spent by his Office on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Jack Straw: Total travel and subsistence costs for the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 are set out in the following table. Information broken down by cost of hotel, food, Ministers and staff is not held by this Office. All spending is in accordance with agreed hospitality limits.
	
		
			  Travel and subsistence 
			   UK (£)  Overseas (£) 
			 2001-02 6,763.38 559.69 
			 2002-03 712.63 0 
			 2003-04 1,815.52 1,337.56 
			 2004-05 2,017.81 31,197.08 
			 2005-06 3,846.86 30,517.81 
			 Total 15,156.20 63,612.14

Departmental Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 1 November 2004, my Department has used a single provider (Adecco). The key requirement of DfES is the provision of temporary administrative and secretarial cover. Agency engagements are kept as short as possible and only used to meet genuine short-term needs—no more than 13 weeks.
	Prior to 1 November 2004, my Department used Brook Street and Manpower employment agencies. To establish the average working rate from these agencies since 1999, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The average hourly rate paid by the Department for staff employed through Adecco for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06 was as follows:
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  Grade  Average hourly charge rate (£) 
			 AA 8.58 
			 AO 9.94 
			 EO 12.14 
			 HEO 16.89 
			 Messenger 7.97 
			 Pers sec 14.05 
			 Snr pers sec 14.74 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  Grade  Average hourly charge rate (£) 
			 AA 8.73 
			 AO 10.12 
			 EO 12.40 
			 HEO 17.24 
			 Messenger 8.09 
			 Pers sec 14.24 
			 Snr pers sec 14.97

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the total carbon emission from his Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: A complete answer cannot be provided as validated carbon emission information is only available from 1999. The following figures are based on kilograms of carbon emitted per square metre of lettable area in our HQ buildings.
	
		
			   kgC/m2 
			 1999-2000 28 
			 2000-01 30 
			 2001-02 29 
			 2002-03 28 
			 2003-04 32 
			 2004-05 31 
			  Note:These figures exclude carbon emissions from road vehicles used for Government administrative operations as this information is not held.

Disabled Students

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many disabled students have dropped out of higher education before completion of their course in the last five years;
	(2)  what information is collected on the number of disabled students dropping out of university.

Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects information on disabled students each year via the HESA Student record. Disability is determined in two ways: by a self-assessment on the part of the student, and by whether a student is in receipt of a Disabled Student Allowance.
	HESA's Performance Indicators in Higher Education include the proportion of students in receipt of a Disabled Student Allowance, and the proportion of full-time first degree entrants who do not continue in higher education after first year. Both of these are shown in the tables. However, there is no publicly-available information on non-completion rates specifically for disabled students. Using the data on which the PIs are based, the proportion of full-time first degree disabled students not continuing in HE after first year has been calculated for 2002-03 and 2003-04. These figures are also included in the tables.
	
		
			  Percentage of full-time first degree students at UK institutions in receipt of disabled student allowance 
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 1.5 
			 2001-02 2.1 
			 2002-03 2.6 
			 2003-04 3.1 
			 2004-05 3.6 
			  Source:  Table T7, Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of full-time first degree entrants to UK institutions not continuing in HE after their first year 
			   Percentage 
			 1999-2000 9.7 
			 2000-01 8.7 
			 2001-02 9.0 
			 2002-03 9.5 
			 2003-04 9.5 
			   
			  Source:Table T3, Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of full-time first degree students to UK institutions who are in receip0t of Disabled Student Allowance, not continuing in HE after their first year 
			   Percentage 
			 2002-03 7.3 
			 2003-04 7.5 
			  Source:HEFCE

Foreign Teachers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many foreign teachers, excluding language assistants, are working in maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools, broken down by (i) nationality and (ii) local authority area.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally for England. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
	The following table provides the number of foreign teachers recruited to the overseas trained teacher programme in each year from 2000/01 to 2004/05, the latest year for which full details are available.
	
		
			  Recruitment to the overseas trained teacher scheme in England by phase, 2000/01 to 2004/05 
			   Primary  Secondary  Total 
			 2000/01 110 80 190 
			 2001/02 310 440 760 
			 2002/03 330 510 830 
			 2003/04 510 710 1,210 
			 2004/05 610 940 1,540 
			  Notes:1. Teacher Development Agency (TDA)2. Figures are rounded to the nearest10.

Further Education (Pensioners)

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pensioners in  (a) England and  (b) each local authority took advantage of the concession for subsidised further education courses in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: There is no national subsidy for pensioners on courses in further education funded through the Learning and Skills Council. However all those on income related benefits and their families do not pay tuition fees for their courses. This includes those pensioners in receipt of the pension credit guarantee. Many pensioners will also benefit from free tuition for courses in literacy, numeracy and language and, where they intend to work, from free tuition for a first full level 2 qualification. Beyond national policy many providers, in both local authorities and FE colleges, have offered fee concessions at their own discretion which may, to varying degrees, be based on age. The following table therefore shows the numbers of learning aims funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in 2004/05 and taken up by learners of State Pension Age, i.e. 65 for men and 60 for women, where fees are waived for whatever reason. Figures are in terms of aims, of which an individual learner may have several, because fee remission applies to individual aims rather than the learner. Additionally, where fees are paid in full by the learner, 75 per cent. of the total tuition cost in 2004/05 for learners in Further Education was still funded by the LSC.
	Equivalent figures for 2005/06 will not be available until December 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Aims studied by LSC-funded learners of state pension age in 2004/05 
			  Local authority area based on learner's home postcode  Fees waived  Fees paid in full by the learner 
			 England 710,556 215,683 
			
			 Unknown 8,812 2,336 
			 City of London 205 204 
			 Camden 4,816 1,063 
			 Greenwich 2,907 378 
			 Hackney 2,283 66 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,235 237 
			 Islington 3,258 271 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,653 547 
			 Lambeth 2,910 225 
			 Lewisham 2,911 326 
			 Southwark 2,156 289 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,678 68 
			 Wandsworth 4,773 585 
			 Westminster 3,965 272 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,720 65 
			 Barnet 4,850 994 
			 Bexley 3,330 695 
			 Brent 3,356 296 
			 Bromley 6,232 1,480 
			 Croydon 4,319 768 
			 Ealing 2,688 382 
			 Enfield 2,293 431 
			 Haringey 2,454 510 
			 Harrow 2,289 473 
			 Havering 5,512 162 
			 Hillingdon 2,837 998 
			 Hounslow 2,557 245 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,348 2,557 
			 Merton 2,007 480 
			 Newham 2,766 55 
			 Redbridge 2,087 908 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,899 1,022 
			 Sutton 3,014 1,160 
			 Waltham Forest 2,252 366 
			 Birmingham 12,213 888 
			 Coventry 3,735 1,929 
			 Dudley 6,241 780 
			 Sandwell 3,225 250 
			 Solihull 2,223 625 
			 Walsall 2,124 2,440 
			 Wolverhampton 3,767 537 
			 Knowsley 2,178 159 
			 Liverpool 10,032 300 
			 St. Helens 1,621 509 
			 Sefton 6,227 683 
			 Wirral 2,918 1,368 
			 Bolton 1,715 1,827 
			 Bury 2,899 339 
			 Manchester 4,526 863 
			 Oldham 2,288 2,018 
			 Rochdale 1,723 264 
			 Salford 2,513 301 
			 Stockport 3,518 2,181 
			 Tameside 2,496 675 
			 Trafford 2,578 1,294 
			 Wigan 1,995 351 
			 Barnsley 4,189 63 
			 Doncaster 5,090 100 
			 Rotherham 3,855 296 
			 Sheffield 7,344 845 
			 Bradford 5,529 2,020 
			 Calderdale 2,494 279 
			 Kirklees 5,329 224 
			 Leeds 7,871 1,509 
			 Wakefield 5,286 181 
			 Gateshead 5,048 337 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 6,211 197 
			 North Tyneside 3,556 637 
			 South Tyneside 2,805 143 
			 Sunderland 5,545 320 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,605 595 
			 Bristol 3,900 968 
			 North Somerset 3,772 311 
			 South Gloucestershire 1,790 354 
			 Hartlepool 805 198 
			 Middlesbrough 2,293 136 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,368 173 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,316 2,089 
			 Kingston upon Hull 4,096 279 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 9,183 589 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4,948 59 
			 North Lincolnshire 5,484 306 
			 North Yorkshire 8,609 3,539 
			 York 2,739 559 
			 Bedfordshire 5,370 673 
			 Luton 2,688 157 
			 Buckinghamshire 2,959 6,529 
			 Milton Keynes 2,251 291 
			 Derbyshire 9,762 7,511 
			 Derby 3,007 826 
			 Dorset 7,216 3,448 
			 Poole 1,944 1,228 
			 Bournemouth 2,883 248 
			 Durham 9,051 1,093 
			 Darlington 775 559 
			 East Sussex 5,237 5,245 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,749 764 
			 Hampshire 14,648 9,863 
			 Portsmouth 1,604 646 
			 Southampton 1,680 615 
			 Leicestershire 12,982 1,624 
			 Leicester 3,735 290 
			 Rutland 342 378 
			 Staffordshire 13,896 3,357 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 3,914 317 
			 Wiltshire 2,082 4,186 
			 Swindon 826 875 
			 Bracknell Forest 2,182 260 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,809 839 
			 West Berkshire 3,400 376 
			 Reading 1,065 349 
			 Slough 862 164 
			 Wokingham 3,427 530 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,302 3,747 
			 Peterborough 1,862 703 
			 Cheshire 8,743 6,181 
			 Halton 1,523 84 
			 Warrington 2,883 214 
			 Devon 8,536 10,733 
			 Plymouth 2,349 343 
			 Torbay 1,147 2,409 
			 Essex 21,215 1,975 
			 Southend on Sea 2,637 90 
			 Thurrock 1,166 53 
			 Herefordshire 1,440 900 
			 Worcestershire 6,006 2,563 
			 Kent 24,966 3,178 
			 Medway 3,305 298 
			 Lancashire 19,547 10,515 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1,811 278 
			 Blackpool 1,456 1,176 
			 Nottinghamshire 15,391 1,013 
			 Nottingham 3,675 188 
			 Shropshire 2,769 3,446 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,093 169 
			 Cornwall 10,440 3,422 
			 Cumbria 7,882 1,444 
			 Gloucestershire 10,005 4,603 
			 Hertfordshire 7,629 4,520 
			 Isle of Wight 792 960 
			 Lincolnshire 11,367 1,968 
			 Norfolk 11,039 2,574 
			 Northamptonshire 8,301 2,582 
			 Northumberland 4,993 3,590 
			 Oxfordshire 4,312 3,758 
			 Somerset 4,697 4,964 
			 Suffolk 10,016 5,494 
			 Surrey 19,092 6,668 
			 Warwickshire 6,646 3,280 
			 West Sussex 12,920 3,558

Higher Education

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost arising from students dropping out of higher education without completing courses was in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The cost to the Exchequer of students who drop out from UK universities depends on factors such as the timing of drop outs within academic years, the level of public funding associated with individual courses, students entitlement to student support, whether or not students transfer to other HE institutions and whether or not students return to HE at a later date. It is therefore not possible to give a reliable figure for the cost.
	Completion rates for the UK are among the highest in the OECD. The following table sets out the rates of non-completion over the last five years for which information is available. In England, the national rate of projected non-completion has broadly shown a downward trend since 1997/98, but we are committed to continuing to bear-down on rates of non-completion while increasing and widening participation in higher education.
	
		
			  Percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants expected neither to obtain an award nor transfer (English higher education institutions) 
			  Students starting courses in:  Non-completion rate (percentage) 
			 1999/2000 15.9 
			 2000/01 15.0 
			 2001/02 13.8 
			 2002/03 13.9 
			 2003/04 14.4 
			  Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK published by Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Higher Education (Disabled Students)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) disabled students and  (b) students with severe learning disabilities entered higher education in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The most recent information is shown in the following table. Figures for 2005/06 will be available in January 2007.
	
		
			  UK domiciled, undergraduate entrants to English institutions by disability type( 1) 
			  Disability type  2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Dyslexia 7,750 10,010 11,765 13,140 14,755 
			 Blind/are partially sighted 665 875 820 835 870 
			 Deaf/have a hearing impairment 1,365 1,670 1,600 1,695 1,800 
			 Wheelchair user/have mobility difficulties 1,040 1,265 1,300 1,275 1,370 
			 Personal care support 70 75 70 60 55 
			 Mental health difficulties 885 1,115 1,340 1,505 1,620 
			 An unseen disability e.g. Diabetes, Epilepsy, Asthma 5,550 6,035 5,430 5,720 5,815 
			 Multiple disabilities 1,540 2,150 2,245 3,050 3,020 
			 Autistic spectrum disorder n/a n/a n/a 65 185 
			 A disability not listed above 2,785 3,265 3,880 3,735 3,700 
			 Unknown 20,085 6,940 9,695 7,050 61,640 
			 No disability 454,375 496,565 503,730 515,765 456,545 
			 Total 496,095 529,955 541,875 553,890 551,375 
			 n/a = not applicable.(1) A separate category for autistic spectrum disorder was introduced in 2003/04. The information on disability is based on self reporting by students and those who have indicated that they have a disability will not necessarily be in receipt of a disabled students allowance (DSA). Note:Figures are based on the HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source:Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Newly Qualified Teacher Course

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications have been made to Newly Qualified Teacher courses in each year since 1999; and how many of these applications have been successful.

Jim Knight: The following information is shown in the table.
	applications to under-graduate (UG) and post-graduate (PG) initial teacher training (ITT) courses,
	applicants accepted on to a course leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS),
	acceptances to Employment Based Teacher Training Scheme (EBTTS) courses.
	Potential EBTTS trainees apply directly to individual providers of these courses and it is therefore not possible to track the total number of applicants to these courses.
	
		
			  ITT recruitment 
			  Academic year  PG and UG applications  PG and UG accepted applicants  EBTTS recruitment 
			 2000/01 42,035 28,393 — 
			 2001/02 45,235 28,327 3,143 
			 2002/03 51,124 28,107 3,954 
			 2003/04 55,103 31,044 5,417 
			 2004/05 56,674 31,460 7,106 
			 2005/06 58,275 31,272 7,010 
			  Source: UG data from UCAS, PG data from GTTR, EBTTS data from the TDA EBTTS database. 
		
	
	Comparative data on applications to ITT courses are not available for the academic year 1999/2000. Accepted applications differ from those given in the Training and Development Agency for School's (TDA) ITT Trainee Number Census as they do not include forecast trainees.

Newly Qualified Teacher Course

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers who qualified overseas are working in schools in England; and how many of these will be required to enrol on a Newly Qualified Teacher course this September if they are to continue teaching.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Commonwealth and other foreign teachers who choose to come to our schools are welcome, although not recruited or solicited by the Government. They are well qualified and greatly valued, making an important contribution to schools in England. We know that many stay for one or two years, and can in any event teach for no more than four years here without acquiring Qualified Teacher Status.
	The following table provides the number of foreign teachers recruited to the overseas trained teacher programme in each year from 2000-01 to 2004-05, the latest year for which full details are available.
	
		
			  Recruitment to the overseas trained teacher scheme in England by phase, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Primary Secondary Total 
			 2000-01 110 80 190 
			 2001-02 310 440 760 
			 2002-03 330 510 830 
			 2003-04 510 710 1,210 
			 2004-05 610 940 1,540 
			  Source:Teacher Development Agency (TDA)

Salaries

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average salary is of a  (a) secondary school deputy head,  (b) secondary school head,  (c) primary school head and  (d) primary school deputy head, broken down by region.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the average salary of full-time head and deputy head teachers in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in March 2003, broken down by government office region. This is the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average salary of full-time head and deputy head teachers, by phase and government office region: March 2003( 1) 
			  £ 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			   Head teachers  Deputy head teachers  Head teachers  Deputy head teachers 
			 North East 41,000 34,880 54,020 44,180 
			 North West 41,390 35,120 56,960 44,170 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 41,500 35,340 57,660 45,420 
			 East Midlands 40,560 34,960 55,840 45,120 
			 West Midlands 41,870 35,390 54,400 44,440 
			 East of England 41,490 35,540 57,210 45,710 
			 London 48,960 40,310 65,440 48,450 
			 South East 41,990 35,350 59,340 45,610 
			 South West 40,050 34,530 56,490 44,400 
			 Wales 39,720 34,130 57,300 44,130 
			 England and Wales 41,730 35,630 57,460 45,280 
			 (1) Provisional estimates which are subject to revision. Note:Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Source:Database of Teacher Records.

Teachers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many newly-qualified teachers have been given a probationary teaching post in each of the last five years; how many of these teachers have completed their probationary years successfully in each year; how many have gone on to find permanent jobs with  (a) the education authority with which they were initially placed and  (b) with another authority; how many have found permanent employment in teaching after a period of (i) unemployment, (ii) supply teaching and (iii) other employment; and how many have failed to find permanent teaching posts;
	(2)  how many teachers failed to secure permanent posts for the 2006-07 school year following their probationary period.

Jim Knight: In England teachers who have attained qualified teacher status (QTS) are not given a post for their induction period. It is for newly qualified teachers themselves to find suitable teaching experience. The induction period of three terms need not be continuous service or in a single post. The period should normally be completed within five years of achieving QTS.
	Since 2000 the General teaching Council for England (GTCE) has recorded the number of newly qualified teachers who have successfully completed their induction. The following table provides this information for each year from 2000 to 2005.
	
		
			  Number of newly qualified teachers passing their teaching induction period in England 2000 to 2005 
			   Number 
			 2000 17,600 
			 2001 20,520 
			 2002 21 ,400 
			 2003 22,770 
			 2004 25,830 
			 2005 27,980 
			 Total 136,100 
			  Source:  General Teaching Council for England. 
		
	
	In addition the GTCE also records how many teachers remain in teaching service after passing their induction period. In June 2006, of the teachers who had passed their induction since 2000, 81 per cent. were recorded as being in teaching service. Of the remainder some 16 per cent. were known to have left the profession. The status of four per cent. was unknown. It is not known how many of the teachers who are in teaching service are with the employer with whom they passed their induction, or how many are in a permanent post. The employment status of teachers during any gaps in service prior to finding a permanent post is also unknown.

Teachers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers have retired on grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table provides ill health retirements by diagnosis in each 12 month period from 1 October 2002, the earliest date from which data have been collected in this form. The figures given are for England and Wales only. Ill health retirements for teachers in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.
	
		
			  Ill health retirements by diagnosis( 1) 
			  Diagnosis  2002-03( 2)  2003-04( 2)  2004-05( 2) 
			 Blood and Blood Forming Organs 25 25 25 
			 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 65 60 60 
			 Circulatory 160 130 135 
			 Congenital Malformations 5 5 (3)— 
			 Digestive 30 45 35 
			 Ear and Mastoid Process 70 80 80 
			 Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic 30 30 20 
			 Eye and Adnexa 35 25 30 
			 Genitourinary 30 20 15 
			 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (3)— 0 0 
			 Injury, Poisoning and Other External Causes 30 30 40 
			 Mental and Behavioural Disorders 865 905 785 
			 Musculoskeletal—Back 210 195 195 
			 Musculoskeletal—Non Back 130 115 115 
			 Neoplasms 245 260 255 
			 Nervous System 160 155 170 
			 Perinatal Period (3)— 0 0 
			 Respiratory 70 70 70 
			 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue 10 5 5 
			 (1) Figures are for ill health retirements from all education sectors in England and Wales pensionable under the teachers' pensions scheme. (2) Each year covers the period 1 October to 30 September.(3) Equals less than 5. Note:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source:DfES medical advisers.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from his Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The estimated carbon emissions from DFID UK estate from 1999(1) are:
	
		
			  Year  Estimated Carbon Emissions 
			 1999-2000 686,182 
			 2000-2001 728,763 
			 2001-2002 756,814 
			 2002-2003 771,179 
			 2003-2004 1,011,155 
			 2004-2005 1 ,046,422 
			 2005-2006 1,114,132 
			 ( 1)No data available prior to 1999 
		
	
	DFID is strongly committed to the targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate which were revised in June 2006. DFID achieved "very good" and "excellent" BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) ratings for the last refurbishments of the UK estate. The increase in levels of carbon emissions in recent years has mainly been due to increased staffing levels, new IT systems/equipment requiring new test and production environments, and more IT equipment supporting our overseas estate.
	DFID has recently signed up to the Carbon Trust (CT) Framework Agreement. The CT consultants have now conducted an energy audit of both UK offices and concluded that the buildings are "well operated and maintained" and "inherently energy efficient". We are nevertheless working with the CT to make further improvements to our energy efficiency through such measures as energy efficiency campaigns.

Departmental Pensions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many pensions his Department has recently overpaid; what total amount such overpayments represent; what proportion of these overpayments his Department expects to recover; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for pension costs for staff leaving on early departure grounds only (excluding ill health retirement). The Department is responsible for meeting the full costs of compensation, including the early payment of pensions until age 60. We are not aware of any recent overpayments of these pensions.
	Capita Hartshead is responsible for paying all civil service pensions after age 60. Capita Hartshead provides this service under contract to the Cabinet Office who are the managers of the civil service pension schemes.
	Pension awards for DFID staff who are members of the civil service pension arrangements are calculated by our pensions administrator, Paymaster. The awards are based on information on salary and service provided by DFID to Paymaster. We are not aware of any errors in the awards calculated.
	DFID does however pay pensions to former colonial public servants and their dependants. The following tables show the number of overpaid pensions recorded together with those recovered, written off and actively being pursued: (a) in the financial year 2005-06 and (b) in the current financial year, for the period to 31 July.
	By far the majority of recorded overpayments relate to part month recoveries resulting from death notifications being received after the current month's pension payment had been made, almost all of which are recovered in a short period of time. Overpaid pensions represent only a very small percentage of the total value of pensions paid.
	
		
			  Financial year 2005-06 
			   Number  Value (£) 
			 Overpayments 455 260,650.55 
			 Recovered 338 219,533.92 
			 Being pursued 96 15,133.42 
			 Written off 21 25,983.21 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2006-07 (to 31 July 2006) 
			   Number  Value (£) 
			 Overpayments 181 90,406.14 
			 Recovered 61 60,240.17 
			 Being pursued 115 27,855.63 
			 Written off 5 2,310.34 
			  Note: In 2005-06 DFID made a total of 219,004 colonial pension payments to a value of £114.8 million. The equivalent figures for 2006-07 (to July 2006) are 70,105 and £37.2 million respectively.

Departmental Publications

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) circulation,  (b) cost and  (c) title is of each publication his Department has issued since 1 July 2005.

Gareth Thomas: Publications issued by DFID since 1 July 2005 are listed in the following table. This sets out the total quantity produced as a full account of circulation for each individual title would incur disproportionate cost. The titles issued have been produced by teams across the Department—some for a broad public audience, others for more specialist stakeholders. DFID publications are generally available for free from the website, www.dfid.gov.uk, and many of the more specialist titles are now produced in electronic format only. Evaluation studies have been listed separately.
	
		
			  Printed publications issued by DFID 
			  Title  Quantity  Design/print cost (£) 
			 1. G8 Africa Action Plan: UK Progress Report 2,000 9,423 
			 2. Progress report by the G8 Africa Personal Representatives on the implementation of the Africa Action Plan 2,000 9,207 
			 3. Developments magazine issue 30 55,000 24,958 
			 4. Developments: Special Local Government Edition 30,000 11,362 
			 5. Intelligence and security legislation for security sector reform 500 1,932 
			 6. National Security decision-making structures and security sector reform 500 1,982 
			 7. DFID interim strategy for Afghanistan 2005/06 (1)— — 
			 8. Aids communication 4,000 9,483 
			 9. Reducing poverty by tackling social exclusion 3,000 3,511 
			 10. Jamaica Country Assistance Plan 3,000 4,045 
			 11. Social Transfers and chronic poverty 3,000 3,224 
			 12. Cambodia Country Assistance Plan (English and Khmer) 3,000 9,902 
			 13. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Institutional Strategy 500 2,825 
			 14. Developments magazine issue 31 (included free CD on cover) 55,000 32,050 
			 15. DFID and the Private Sector 3,000 13,380 
			 16. Trade Matters 150,000 96,214 
			 17. The challenge of TB and malaria control 1,500 3,601 
			 18. Harm reduction: tackling drug use and HIV in the developing world 6,000 1,545 
			 19. A better future: DFID support for Palestinians 5,000 7,555 
			 20. The United Nations Development Programme Institutional Strategy 3,000 4,861 
			 21. 2005 Autumn Performance Report. 1,000 7,756 
			 22. Disasters and emergencies overseas: how you can help 500,000 56,500 
			 23. Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture 3,000 6,471 
			 24. Eliminating World Poverty: a consultation document (White Paper consultation document) 24,000 11,145 
			 25. Voices of change: Strategic radio support achieving the Millennium Development Goals 2,000 7,405 
			 26. Developments magazine issue 32 70,000 31,310 
			 27. Listening and learning. Measuring the impact of Communication for Development. 2,000 3,740 
			 28. Implementation of the Commission for Africa recommendations and G8 Gleneagles' commitments on poverty 3,000 13,906 
			 29. DFlD's approach to the environment 3,000 3,360 
			 30. Southern Africa Regional Plan 3,000 5,645 
			 31. The UK and the World Bank 2005 500 4,361 
			 32. Reducing the Risk of Disasters—Helping to Achieve Sustainable Poverty Reduction in a Vulnerable World: A DFID policy paper 3,000 4,854 
			 33. World Food Programme Institutional Strategy 2,000 3,000 
			 34. Civil Society and Development 1,500 3,964 
			 35. Eliminating World Poverty: the White Paper speeches 2006 5,000 9,501 
			 36. DFID Departmental Report 2006 3,000 76,230 
			 37. Developments magazine issue 33 70,000 24,415 
			 38. Development Works 52 weeks a year 50,000 54,875 
			 39. G8 Gleneagles: One year on—Turning Talk into Action 230,000 46,112 
			 40. China Country Assistance Plan (English and Chinese versions) 2,000 2,318 
			 41. Saving lives, relieving suffering, protecting dignity: DFlD's Humanitarian Policy 3,000 6,074 
			 42. Eliminating world poverty: Making governance work for the poor: A White Paper on International Development 10,000 36,115 
			 43. Easy guide to "Eliminating world poverty" 1.5 million 65,445 
			 44. Common Institutional Strategy for the Asian Development bank by the Governments of Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Turkey and the United Kingdom 2,000 2,030 
			 45. Joint Strategic Framework for Partnership with the African Development Bank by the Governments of Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom 2,000 2,339 
			 46. Developments magazine issue 34 70,000 24,847 
			 47. Quick Impact Projects. A handbook for the military (booklet + CD Rom) 1,200 5,715 
			 48. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Canada, Sweden and the UK: A Joint Institutional Approach Working together with UNICEF for the World's Children 3,000 5,635 
			 (1) Produced by FCO. 
		
	
	 Electronic only titles
	Formatted titles—no production costs incurred.
	1. Social protection and economic growth in poor countries.
	2. How to work effectively with global funds and partnerships—overview how to note and detailed toolkit, Global and Country Partnerships for Human Development.
	3. Infrastructure and pro-poor growth, Pro-Poor Growth team.
	4. Managing the fiduciary risk associated with social cash transfer programmes.
	5. How to provide technical cooperation.
	6. Water Action Plan update.
	7. Guidance on aid instruments.
	8. Good practice in transforming or closing bilateral programmes, Donor Policy and Partnerships.
	9. The importance of secondary, vocational and higher education to development, Education and Skills team.
	
		
			  Evaluation studies 
			  Title  Quantity  Design/print cost (£) 
			 1. General budget support—Synthesis (multi donor report, chaired by DFID) 500 11,995 
			 2. General budget support—Burkina Faso Country report 150 5,898 
			 3. General budget support—Malawi Country report 150 4,299 
			 4. General budget support—Mozambique Country report 150 5,720 
			 5. General budget support—Nicaragua Country report 150 5,258 
			 6. General budget support—Rwanda Country report 150 5,770 
			 7. General budget support—Uganda Country report 150 7,320 
			 8. General budget support—Vietnam Country report 150 4,890 
			 9. Country programmes: Bangladesh 150 1,170 
			 10. Country programmes: Ghana 150 1,470 
			 11. Country programmes: Malawi 150 1,463 
			 12. Country programmes: Mozambique 200 (1)— 
			 13. Country programmes. Rwanda 150 1,501 
			 14. Conflict in Northern Uganda 150 1,271 
			 15. Project completion review 150 3,550 
			 16. Humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan (2)— — 
			 17. DFID/World Bank impact evaluation (3)— — 
			 18. World Bank support to maternal and child health outcomes (Bangladesh) (3)— — 
			 19. Gender audit methodology (Malawi) (4)— — 
			 20. HIV and AIDS evaluation design—Inception report (5)— — 
			 21. Taking Action: The UK Government's strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world (interim evaluation) 400 14,246 
			 22. Developing capacity? Technical cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa 250 3,197 
			 23. DFID's policy and practice in support of gender equality and women's empowerment—Synthesis study 400 3,050 
			 24. DFID's policy and practice in support of gender equality and women's empowerment—Country case study 220 (1)— 
			 25. DFID's policy and practice in support of gender equality and women's empowerment—Thematic study 220 (1)— 
			 26. India development effectiveness report 400 (1)— 
			 (1 )Invoice due.  (2) Produced by Danida.  (3) Produced by World Bank.  (4) Produced by ODI. (5) Electronic only.

Tsunami Funds

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total support pledged by  (a) the UK,  (b) the EU,  (c) the US,  (d) Australia,  (e) Japan and  (f) other donors was following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean of December 2004; how much has been spent to date; and in which countries the funds have been spent.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 11 September 2006
	The information requested is as follows.
	 United Kingdom
	The UK Government has directly allocated the equivalent of around £290 million to disaster relief and reconstruction in the tsunami affected countries. This includes £75 million of our bilateral funds to the humanitarian relief effort. Of the £75 million, DFID has pledged to spend £7.5 million on helping countries in the region reduce people's vulnerability to natural disasters. We have also allocated an additional £65 million of bilateral funds to the longer-term reconstruction phase.
	The breakdown of bilateral commitments and spend to date by country (including the provision at regional level) is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Pledged  Committed  Spent 
			 Regional (including DRR)  50.642 40.877 
			 Sri Lanka  7.625 4.653 
			 India  5.767 2.611 
			 Indonesia  36.07 30.57 
			 Somalia  0.5 0.5 
			 Maldives  1.01 1.01 
			 Total 140.00 101.614 80.221 
		
	
	The regional commitment includes DFID support to the United Nations and £7.5 million for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities.
	The work in Sri Lanka is focused upon the north and east of the country, but spending has been slower than anticipated due to the current crisis.
	£59.2 million has been pledged for reconstruction and recovery activities in Indonesia, of which £19.6 million has been formally committed. The remaining £39.6 million for Indonesia (with expenditure running through to 2008-09) will be committed over the next six months.
	Her Majesty's Treasury estimates that the Government will be contributing approximately £50 million through tax relief on public donations made through the Gift Aid Scheme.
	The British Government also contribute through the European Commission (EC). The EC has already pledged €123 million in humanitarian assistance and up to €350 million for longer-term reconstruction. The UK's share of this is approximately £15 million and £40 million respectively.
	The UK also contributes to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, who have both pledged resources in support of the tsunami-affected area.
	The UK announced that Sri Lanka would be added to the list of countries eligible for the UK's new multilateral debt relief initiative (MDRI). Under this initiative, the UK will pay our share (10 per cent., or around £45 million) of Sri Lanka's debt service costs to the World Bank until 2015. All Paris Club debt repayments due to be paid to the UK by Indonesia in 2005 totalling £73 million have been deferred and rescheduled for payment over the next four years.
	 European Commission
	The European Commission and member states pledged more than €2 billion in assistance for tsunami-affected countries of which €566 million is for humanitarian assistance and the remainder for rehabilitation and reconstruction. €452 million (80 per cent.) of humanitarian aid has been spent. €902 million (60 per cent.) of rehabilitation and reconstruction aid has been committed and €367 million disbursed. The European Investment Bank is about to sign loans totalling €170 million in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Additional loans of €396 million have been pledged by member states.
	Latest figures for other donors show that the United States of America pledged US$350 million for humanitarian and recovery assistance and a further US$625 million for tsunami recovery and reconstruction. Australia pledged AUS$122.8 million in support of the tsunami, AUS$75.9 million of which was for emergency humanitarian assistance. Japan pledged up to US$500 million grant money as emergency assistance, of which; US$250 million for international organisations and US$250 million for bilateral assistance.
	Latest estimates indicate that in total over US$13 billion was pledged or donated by the international community for emergency relief and the reconstruction effort in response to the tsunami. It is estimated that of the total amount 46 per cent. was provided from governments, 16 per cent. international financial institutions and 38 per cent. from private finance and donations.

Tsunami Funds

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has  (a) pledged,  (b) committed and  (c) spent on projects in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2005 in each of the countries affected.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has pledged £140 million in response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2005. £75 million was pledged to the immediate humanitarian relief effort, including £7.5 million to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities. This was exceeded as our total commitment rose to £76.214 million. A further £65 million was pledged to meet reconstruction needs in the Tsunami affected countries. The break down of commitment and spend to date by country (including the provision at regional level) is listed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Humanitarian Relief (£ million) 
			   Regional (inc DRR)  Sri Lanke  India  Indonesia  Somalia  Maldives  Total 
			 Committed 50.642 4.825 2.767 16.47 0.5 1.01 76.214 
			 Spent 40.877 4.653 2.611 16.47 0.5 1.01 66.122 
		
	
	The regional commitment includes DFID support to the United Nations and £7.5 million for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities. The £10.092 million that has not yet been spent includes this £7.5 million. We are considering options for spending this allocation. A further £2.48 million has not been spent because projects that we supported cost less to deliver than was originally budgeted. DFID is recovering remaining unspent funds.
	
		
			  Reconstruction and Recovery (£ million) 
			   Regional  Sri Lanka  India  Indonesia  Somalia  Maldives  Total 
			 Pledged — 2.8 3 59.2 — — 65 
			 Committed — 2.8 3 19.6 — — 25.4 
			 Spent — — — 14.1 — — 14.1 
		
	
	DFID's focus in the reconstruction phase for Sri Lanka has been to build capacity in-country to manage the longer-term recovery effort. This work is focused upon the North and East of Sri Lanka, but has been suspended due to the current crisis.
	The money committed to reconstruction and recovery in India will provide technical assistance aimed at ensuring effective allocation of tsunami reconstruction funds.
	£59.2 million has been pledged for reconstruction and recovery activities in Indonesia of which £19.6 million has been formally committed. The remaining £39.6 million for Indonesia (with expenditure running through to 2008-09) will be committed over the next six months as follows:
	Up to £33.6 million to the Multi Donor Trust Fund to support housing, infrastructure, transport, capacity building, and projects which support the sustainable management of the environment.
	£6 million to the World Bank's Support for Poor and Disadvantaged Areas programme to provide support to strengthen governance, promote growth and improve service delivery in the provinces of Aceh and Nias.

Departmental Lawyers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the job descriptions are of lawyers employed in his Department; what those descriptions were in 1997; what the cost was of lawyers employed in his Department in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The work of civilian lawyers employed in the Ministry of Defence is to provide legal support and services to the Department across the range of its activities and business. The particular requirements of the Department for legal advice are necessarily dependent on the circumstances prevailing at any one time. The summary description of the current work of the various teams of lawyers based in the UK reflects the main areas of law on which advice is required, and is as follows:
	 Legislation
	This team's primary responsibility is the production of, and advice on, the primary and secondary legislation governing the armed forces, apart from legislation on pay, pensions and other terms of service.
	 Operational and International Humanitarian Law
	Provides advice within the Department on operational law issues including advice in relation to the legal basis for use of force, international humanitarian law, and associated domestic and international legal issues.
	 Personnel and Pensions Law
	Advises on personnel employment questions (including personnel vetting), terms and conditions of service, redundancy questions, discrimination law and human rights issues affecting the Services and MOD civilian staff respectively. The team also advises on War Pensions, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and Service and civilian pension issues.
	 General Law
	Advises information rights (including data protection, freedom of information, environmental information and matters relating to the law of privacy and confidence), Defence Estates, and other areas of law not covered by the other teams.
	 Commercial Law
	Advises on a range of commercial matters including private finance initiative and public private partnership projects, the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, EU law questions, international contracting issues, commercial information rights, and general commercial law questions.
	In addition to the UK lawyers there are two teams based overseas in Germany and Cyprus.
	The team based in Germany provides legal advice to UK forces and their civilian component on all aspects of living in and operating in and from Germany. This includes advice on the application of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, its Supplementary Agreement relating to Germany, and other international and bilateral arrangements.
	The Attorney General and Legal Adviser team based in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA), Cyprus, provides legal advice to the SBA Administration. He has independent control of prosecutions before the SBA Court. He and his team draft legislation and provide advice to meet the needs of the SBA Administration, including the provision of advice on the Treaty of Establishment, on legal aspects of policy development.
	The salary costs of civilian lawyers employed in the Department in each of the last 10 years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 1.27 
			 1998-99 1.31 
			 1999-00 1.48 
			 2000-01 1.53 
			 2001-02 1.92 
			 2002-03 2.52 
			 2003-04 2.94 
			 2004-05 (1)— 
			 2005-06 3.29 
			 2006-07 (2)1.52 
			 (1) As a result of changes in accounting procedures and the transfer of the Department's lawyers from the Treasury Solicitor into the MOD during the course of 2004-05 an accurate figure for this year is not available.(2) Figures cover the period 1 April 2006 to 31 August 2006.

Mechanised Infantry Battalions

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Mechanised Infantry (Warrior) battalions the Army presently has; and  (a) where they are based and  (b) what role they are currently undertaking.

Adam Ingram: The Army presently has four Mechanised Infantry Battalions: none of these operate Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles and none are currently operating outside their Mechanised Infantry role. There are nine Armoured Infantry battalions which are Warrior-equipped. Their base and current locations are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Mechanised Infantry Battalions  Base Location 
			 1 LANCS Osnabruck, Germany 
			 2RGJ Bulford, UK 
			 1R ANGLIAN Pirbright, UK 
			 1DDLI Catterick, UK(1) 
			 (1)Currently in Iraq 
		
	
	
		
			  Armoured Infantry (Warrior) Battalions  Base Location 
			 1 SCOTS GUARDS Munster, Germany 
			 1 RRF Celle, Germany 
			 4 SCOTS Fallingbostel, Germany 
			 1 LI Paderborn, Germany(1) 
			 1PWRR Paderborn, Germany(1) 
			 2 R WELSH Tidworth, UK 
			 1 STAFFORDS Tidworth, UK 
			 3 YORKS Warminster, UK 
			 2 LANCS Catterick, UK 
			 ( 1 )Currently in Iraq

Pilot Training

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training hours flying time per month fast jet pilots will have access to in 2006-07.

Adam Ingram: The 2006-07 planned average flying hours per month per Fast Jet pilot on operational squadrons is:
	
		
			   Hours per month 
			 Harrier 17.5 
			 Jaguar 16.5 
			 Tornado F3 17.5 
			 Tornado GR4 17.5 
			 Typhoon 17.5 
		
	
	The figures do not include Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) Flying Hours, which are calculated annually and are shown in the following table. As training needs vary considerably, these hours are allocated to the unit and not to individual pilots.
	
		
			   Hours per year 
			 Harrier OCU 4,290 
			 Tornado F3 OCU (1)3,968 
			 Tornado GR4 OCU 6,600 
			 Typhoon OCU 3,998 
			 (1)56(R) Squadron flies an additional 411 hours in support of the Falkland Islands and other operations such as Quick Reaction Alert (QRA). Notes:1. OCUs work on a 'block' number of hours allocated to them to accommodate course flying and provide Staff Continuation Training (SCT). SCT also includes teaching sorties.2. With the continued drawdown of the fleet, there is no longer conversion training on the Jaguar.

Salaries

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the salary was of an  (a) SAS and  (b) SBS (i) trooper and (ii) sergeant in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: Other rank members of the SAS and SBS are on a single bespoke incremental pay structure. Minimum and maximum annual basic pay rates for troopers and sergeants for 2002-06 are shown in the following table. In addition, SAS and SBS personnel are paid specialist pay for recruitment and retention purposes. Minimum and maximum annual rates of specialist pay for SAS and SBS other ranks for the years 2002-06 are also shown in the table. The precise level of specialist pay received by individuals depends on their length of service in the SAS or SBS.
	
		
			   Annual Basic Pay  
			   Trooper  Sergeant  Annual Specialist Pay—All Other Ranks 
			 2002 25,944 to 29,244 33,189 to 36,730 3,745 to 7,884 
			 2003 26,846 to 30,261 34,345 to 38,009 3,876 to 8,158 
			 2004 27,521 to 31,025 35,212 to 38,967 3,938 to 8,442 
			 2005 28,346 to 31,956 36,266 to 40,135 4,055 to 8,694 
			 2006 29,196 to 32,916 37,354 to 41,340 6,369 to13,534

Departmental Child Care Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what child care  (a) provision and  (b) assistance is available to his Department's staff.

Barry Gardiner: Defra's child care provision, and the assistance available to the Department's staff is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Defra child care provision 
			  Child care type  Location  Places  Full-time costs/subsidies 
			 Workplace nurseries York 44 £325—£372 monthly 
			  Guildford 40 £241—£398 monthly 
			 Subsidised places in external nurseries London 11 £60 subsidy—costs vary dependent on location 
			  Bristol 3 £60 subsidy—costs vary dependent on location 
			 Discounted fees in external nurseries Newcastle London (1)— 7 per cent. discount in chain of nurseries 
			  London (1)— 10 per cent. discount in chain of over 44 nurseries 
			 Holiday playschemes London (1)— £16.33 daily 
			  Guildford (1)— £12.60 daily 
			  York (1)— £18.70 daily 
			 (1) Dependent on demand 
		
	
	Defra employees are also able to use a Salary Sacrifice Scheme to reduce their child care costs by up to £243 per month.

Environment Agency

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget of the Environment Agency was in the last 10 financial years in real terms  (a) in total and  (b) broken down by (i) grant-in-aid from Government, (ii) funding for flood defences and (iii) grant-in-aid from Government excluding flood defences.

Ian Pearson: Table 1 shows actual spending and funding figures for the Environment Agency in England. Table 2 shows approximate real terms equivalents calculated using the Public Works Non Road Inflation (PWNRI) index published by the Department of Trade and Industry, with 1996-97 as the base year. These latter equivalents should be viewed as a rough guide only because the PWNRI is unlikely to be an exact measurement of cost changes for the goods and services procured by the Agency, especially for the non flood risk elements.
	
		
			  Table 1: Actual values 
			Funding 
			  £ million 
			   Total EA expenditure( 1)  Total grant in aid (GIA)  Funding for flood risk management (GIA from 2004-05 onwards)  GIA for other purposes (Environment Protection, Conservation, Recreation, Navigation and Fisheries) 
			 1996-97 519.2 119.8 45.9 119.8 
			 1997-98 558.2 119.2 43.0 119.2 
			 1998-99 546.9 109.8 33.8 109.8 
			 1999-2000 568.8 105.4 33.0 105.4 
			 2000-01 589.2 110.2 41.9 110.2 
			 2001-02 650.7 105.0 61.5 105.0 
			 2002-03 723.2 118.6 66.7 118.6 
			 2003-04 760.2 126.8 76.1 126.8 
			 2004-05 811.4 482.9 358.6 124.3 
			 2005-06(3) 943.0 577.6 426.9 150.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Rough estimates of real terms equivalents of Table 1 (£million) 
			Funding 
			  £ million 
			   Total EA expenditure( 1)  Total Grant in Aid (GIA)  Funding for flood risk management (GIA from 2004-05 onwards)  GIA for other purposes (Environment Protection, Conservation, Recreation, Navigation and Fisheries) 
			 1996-97(2) 519.2 119.8 45.9 119.8 
			 1997-98 541.1 115.6 41.7 115.6 
			 1998-99 509.4 102.3 31.5 102.3 
			 1999-2000 519.1 96.2 30.1 96.2 
			 2000-01 517.4 96.8 36.8 96.8 
			 2001-02 555.1 89.6 52.5 89.6 
			 2002-03 598.4 98.1 55.2 98.1 
			 2003-04 611.1 101.9 61.2 101.9 
			 2004-05 605.7 360.5 267.7 92.8 
			 2005-06(3) 689.1 422.1 312.0 110.1 
			 (1)Includes funding from other sources.(2)As the base year, 1996-97 values are actual.(3)Total EA budget for 2005-06 is forecast pending finalisation of outturn spend figures. 
		
	
	Prior to 2004-05 the flood risk management function of the Agency was funded primarily through a combination of grant from Defra for specific projects and levies on local authorities. The latter, which were largely supported by Revenue Support Grant from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, are not included in the table. Both forms of funding were largely replaced by grant in aid from Defra from 2004-05 onwards.

GM Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on research into genetically modified crops in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) project and  (b) funding stream; and how much it plans to spend over the next three years in each case.

Ian Pearson: The following table contains information on research into genetically modified crops commissioned by Defra since its creation in 2001, and projects taken over by the Department from its predecessors, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. Information on future years' spend is included where commitments extend into future years. The funding for each of these research projects came from Defra's central research and development budget.
	
		
			  Defra research projects on genetically modified organisms 
			   Cost (£) 
			  Project code  Project title  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 AR0317 Assessing the environmental impact of crop production practice: beyond the GM farm-scale evaluation 0 0 0 0 
			 AR1001 Scale-up of Agrobacterium mediated transformation of oats to detect low frequency stable integrations 11,966 0 0 0 
			 AR1002 Genetic transformation of wheat using Agrobacterium tumifaciens 14,093 0 0 0 
			 AR1003 Reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated transformation systems for wheat and barley 15,068 0 0 0 
			 AR1005 BRACT—Biotechnology Resources for Arable Crop Transformation 0 0 228,106 313,281 
			 CB02001 Farm-scale evaluations of GM beet and farmland wildlife 485,517 501,052 0 0 
			 CB02002 Farm-scale evaluations of GM maize and farmland wildlife 381,515 680,142 222,704 15,405 
			 CB02003 Farm-scale evaluations of GM spring oilseed rape and wildlife 431,515 430,727 0 0 
			 CB02004 Farm-scale evaluations of GM winter oilseed rape and wildlife 354,811 440,316 255,896 0 
			 RG0116 Farm-scale evaluations—contribution from MAFF 50,000 50,000 0 0 
			 CB02005 Monitoring gene flow from the GM crop to non-GM equivalent crops in the vicinity 76,406 90,340 12,772 25,544 
			 CB02006 Gene flow monitoring: herbicide resistance genes to wild crop relatives 128,954 117,328 34,266 10,342 
			 CB02007 Impact of Bt exudates from roots of GM plants 18,835 18,834 0 0 
			 CB02008 Impact of transgenes for herbivore and virus resistance 104,830 0 50,142 0 
			 CB02010 Modelling effects on farmland food webs of herbicide and insecticide management I 0 150,564 0 0 
			 CB02011 Compositional traits—effect on GM survivability and persistence 0 14,981 34,964 0 
			 CB02012 Modelling effects on farmland food webs of herbicide and insecticide management II 0 114,781 23,731 0 
			 CB02013 Biodiversity effects of management associated with GM cropping systems 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02014 Impacts of contemporary and alternative arable cropping systems 0 44,654 0 0 
			 CB02016 Assessment of the distribution of GM material in kernel lots 0 0 14,000 21,020 
			 CB02017 Non-target effects of transgenic crop plants resistant to virus diseases 68,756 72,383 0 0 
			 CB02018 Determining risks to soil organisms associated with a genetically modified crop expressing a biopesticide in its roots 67,310 71,792 0 36,882 
			 CB02019 Factors affecting rates of cross-pollination in maize growing under typical UK conditions 0 0 118,834 173,984 
			 CB02020 Factors affecting cross-pollination in OSR growing under typical UK conditions 0 86,815 198,343 152,065 
			 CB02021 Strategies for risk assessment, minimising the environmental impact of fungal disease-suppressing GM bacteria and plants 0 85,152 128,950 37,021 
			 CB02022 Supply chain impacts of further regulation of products consisting of, containing or derived from GMOs 0 0 72,944 0 
			 CB02023 Estimate consumer willingness to pay for reducing or eliminating GM products or derivatives in food and increasing robustness of the labelling regime 0 0 90,000 4,550 
			 CB02024 Mechanisms for investigating changes in soil ecology due to GMO releases 0 0 24,892 24,892 
			 CB02025 Insertion of cauliflower mosaic virus DNA into host genomes during natural viral infections 0 0 0 88,640 
			 CB02026 Curation of the data collected in the farm-scale evaluations 0 0 0 82,731 
			 CB02027 GM crop farm-scale evaluation results presentations and open meetings 0 0 60,105 0 
			 CB02029 The statistical theory and analysis of GMO enforcement 0 0 0 24,779 
			 CB02030 Support for the British Ornithologists' Union conference on GM crops and birds 0 0 10,000 0 
			 CB02031 Evaluation of the organisation and management of the GM farm-scale evaluations 0 0 16,000 0 
			 CB02032 The potential for horizontal gene transfer from transgenic plants to fungi 0 0 0 86,273 
			 CB02033 Monitoring occurrence of GM oilseed rape volunteers in subsequent oilseed rape crops at FSE sites 0 0 0 114,737 
			 CB02034 Farm-scale evaluations: further sampling of soil seed bank and seedling emergence 0 0 0 229,117 
			 CB02035 Sustainable introduction of GMOs into European agriculture (SIGMEA) 0 0 0 28,083 
			 CB02036 Desk study on technologies for biological containment of GM and non-GM crops 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02037 Farm-scale evaluations: further sampling of soil seed bank and seedling emergence—contract 2 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02038 GM co-existence consultation—support for workshops 0 0 0 10,431 
			 CB02039 Review of separation distances and buffer crops for co-existence between GM and non-GM crops 0 0 0 43,295 
			 CB02040 Quantitative approaches to the risk assessment of GM crops 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02041 RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms and their implications in plants 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02042 Availability and use of general surveillance information for potential changes resulting from GM crop cultivation 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02043 Agronomic and environmental implications of the establishment of GM herbicide tolerant problem weeds 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02044 COEXTRA (GM and non-GM supply chains: their CO-EXistence and TRAceability 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02045 Detection and traceability technologies to underpin GM inspection and enforcement 0 0 40,193 19,278 
			 CB02046 Plasmid standards for real time PCR and UKAS accreditation of GM enforcement testing 0 0 33,056 11,645 
			 CE0158 Transformation of wheat by Agrobacterium co-cultivation 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0159 Development of a routine system for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of barley 17,334 0 0 0 
			 CE0161 Agrobacterium mediated transformation of oats 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0171 Gene regulation in transgenic wheat including methods to increase expression and/or reduce variation in expression 78,054 0 0 0 
			 CE0172 Use of maize and rice MAR sequences to stabilise the expression of transgenes in wheat 87,865 80,610 45,000 0 
			 CE0173 Nuclear and plastid transformation of wheat and tritordeum using the streptomycin—selectable aadA marker gene 26,083 0 0 0 
			 H0909SFV Genetics of transformation and regeneration in horticultural brassicas. 90,155 37,634 0 0 
			 H0915SMU Molecular analysis of integrative transformants of the mushroom 114,380 117,239 0 0 
			 H1020THN Genetic modification of rootstocks for disease resistance in rose. 152,056 0 0 0 
			 H1026SHN Conventional and biotechnological genetic improvement of hardy nursery stock 126,734 129,902 0 0 
			 H1031SSF Tissue and plastid targeted transgene expression in a perennial plant, strawberry 82,068 94,777 183,528 0 
			 H1616SPC Modification of chrysanthemum growth habit thorough genetic manipulation. 54,600 0 0 0 
			 H2119SSF Control of transgene expression in strawberry. 36,846 0 0 0 
			 H3706STF Examination of gusA transgene expression in the fruit of transgenic apple plants driven by plant promotors 29,398 0 0 0 
			 L0110LFV Genetic modification of Brassica oleracea for resistance to turnip and cauliflower mosiac viruses. 38,454 21,556 0 0 
			 HP0212 Suppression of sprouting in stored potato tubers by molecular manipulation of abscisic acid levels. 133,933 25,362 0 0 
			 HP0218 Dormancy and water use effeciency in potato tubers 0 126,098 175,337 183,668 
			 NF0507 Functional genomics in marine algae to discover genes that can be used to produce docosahexaenoic acid in oilseed crops 98,496 104,862 91,580 47,287 
			 NF0511 Isolation, and expression in plants, of novel spider silk genes 69,061 63,300 32,518 0 
			 NT2305 Developing wheat genotypes with reduced nitrogen requirement by manipulation to decrease Rubisco content 26,902 0 0 0 
			 PH0301 Containment of GM plant viruses 0 0 0 10,038 
			 RG0113 Risk assessment and hazard evaluation for GM bacteria used in the biological control of fungal disease of crops 64,696 0 0 0 
			 RG0114 Consequences for agriculture of the introduction of GM crops 32,574 27,264 0 0 
			 RG0115 A generic mathematical model for the integrated management of a crop containing antifeedant genes 59,050 14,912 0 0 
			 RG0123 A desk study on the pollination distances of genetically modified crops 1,280 0 0 0 
			 VS0123 Methods for the detection of adventitious GM material in non-GM seed 33,333 6,667 0 0 
			 VS0126 Prediction, sampling and management of GM impurities in fields and harvested yields of oilseed rape 0 0 49,837 98,962 
			 VS0130 Desk study to review methods for sampling seed lots to determine the presence of GM material 16,658 7,332 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			  Project code  Project title  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 AR0317 Assessing the environmental impact of crop production practice: beyond the GM farm-scale evaluation 409,703 380,972 0 0 
			 AR1001 Scale-up of Agrobacterium mediated transformation of oats to detect low frequency stable integrations 0 0 0 0 
			 AR1002 Genetic transformation of wheat using Agrobacterium tumifaciens 0 0 0 0 
			 AR1003 Reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated transformation systems for wheat and barley 0 0 0 0 
			 AR1005 BRACT—Biotechnology Resources for Arable Crop Transformation 287,581 69,500 0 0 
			 CB02001 Farm-scale evaluations of GM beet and farmland wildlife 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02002 Farm-scale evaluations of GM maize and farmland wildlife 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02003 Farm-scale evaluations of GM spring oilseed rape and wildlife 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02004 Farm-scale evaluations of GM winter oilseed rape and wildlife 0 0 0 0 
			 RG0116 Farm-scale evaluations—contribution from MAFF 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02005 Monitoring gene flow from the GM crop to non-GM equivalent crops in the vicinity 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02006 Gene flow monitoring: herbicide resistance genes to wild crop relatives 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02007 Impact of Bt exudates from roots of GM plants 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02008 Impact of transgenes for herbivore and virus resistance 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02010 Modelling effects on farmland food webs of herbicide and insecticide management I 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02011 Compositional traits—effect on GM survivability and persistence 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02012 Modelling effects on farmland food webs of herbicide and insecticide management II 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02013 Biodiversity effects of management associated with GM cropping systems 37,064 0 0 0 
			 CB02014 Impacts of contemporary and alternative arable cropping systems 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02016 Assessment of the distribution of GM material in kernel lots 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02017 Non-target effects of transgenic crop plants resistant to virus diseases 18,327 0 0 0 
			 CB02018 Determining risks to soil organisms associated with a genetically modified crop expressing a biopesticide in its roots 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02019 Factors affecting rates of cross-pollination in maize growing under typical UK conditions 174,722 179,880 183,995 0 
			 CB02020 Factors affecting cross-pollination in OSR growing under typical UK conditions 324,116 238,239 0 0 
			 CB02021 Strategies for risk assessment, minimising the environmental impact of fungal disease-suppressing GM bacteria and plants 104,277 0 0 0 
			 CB02022 Supply chain impacts of further regulation of products consisting of, containing or derived from GMOs 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02023 Estimate consumer willingness to pay for reducing or eliminating GM products or derivatives in food and increasing robustness of the labelling regime 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02024 Mechanisms for investigating changes in soil ecology due to GMO releases 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02025 Insertion of cauliflower mosaic virus DNA into host genomes during natural viral infections 87,451 27,446 0 0 
			 CB02026 Curation of the data collected in the farm-scale evaluations 82,731 13,366 13,683 1,810 
			 CB02027 GM crop farm-scale evaluation results presentations and open meetings 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02029 The statistical theory and analysis of GMO enforcement 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02030 Support for the British Ornithologists' Union conference on GM crops and birds 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02031 Evaluation of the organisation and management of the GM farm-scale evaluations 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02032 The potential for horizontal gene transfer from transgenic plants to fungi 196,255 39,251 0 0 
			 CB02033 Monitoring occurrence of GM oilseed rape volunteers in subsequent oilseed rape crops at FSE sites 385,263 0 0 0 
			 CB02034 Farm-scale evaluations: further sampling of soil seed bank and seedling emergence 122,642 0 0 0 
			 CB02035 Sustainable introduction of GMOs into European agriculture (SIGMEA) 28,083 28,082 0 0 
			 CB02036 Desk study on technologies for biological containment of GM and non-GM crops 52,506 0 0 0 
			 CB02037 Farm-scale evaluations: further sampling of soil seed bank and seedling emergence—contract 2 117,434 0 0 0 
			 CB02038 GM co-existence consultation—support for workshops 0 0 0 0 
			 CB02039 Review of separation distances and buffer crops for co-existence between GM and non-GM crops 6,655 0 0 0 
			 CB02040 Quantitative approaches to the risk assessment of GM crops 100,000 0 0 0 
			 CB02041 RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms and their implications in plants 24,452 0 0 0 
			 CB02042 Availability and use of general surveillance information for potential changes resulting from GM crop cultivation 48,168 0 0 0 
			 CB02043 Agronomic and environmental implications of the establishment of GM herbicide tolerant problem weeds 40,123 0 0 0 
			 CB02044 COEXTRA (GM and non-GM supply chains: their CO-EXistence and TRAceability 23,523 33,098 30,000 31,094 
			 CB02045 Detection and traceability technologies to underpin GM inspection and enforcement 6,611 0 0 0 
			 CB02046 Plasmid standards for real time PCR and UKAS accreditation of GM enforcement testing 23,384 0 0 0 
			 CE0158 Transformation of wheat by Agrobacterium co-cultivation 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0159 Development of a routine system for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of barley 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0161 Agrobacterium mediated transformation of oats 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0171 Gene regulation in transgenic wheat including methods to increase expression and/or reduce variation in expression 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0172 Use of maize and rice MAR sequences to stabilise the expression of transgenes in wheat 0 0 0 0 
			 CE0173 Nuclear and plastid transformation of wheat and tritordeum using the streptomycin—selectable aadA marker gene 0 0 0 0 
			 H0909SFV Genetics of transformation and regeneration in horticultural brassicas. 0 0 0 0 
			 H0915SMU Molecular analysis of integrative transformants of the mushroom 0 0 0 0 
			 H1020THN Genetic modification of rootstocks for disease resistance in rose. 0 0 0 0 
			 H1026SHN Conventional and biotechnological genetic improvement of hardy nursery stock 0 0 0 0 
			 H1031SSF Tissue and plastid targeted transgene expression in a perennial plant, strawberry 0 0 0 0 
			 H1616SPC Modification of chrysanthemum growth habit thorough genetic manipulation. 0 0 0 0 
			 H2119SSF Control of transgene expression in strawberry. 0 0 0 0 
			 H3706STF Examination of gusA transgene expression in the fruit of transgenic apple plants driven by plant promotors 0 0 0 0 
			 L0110LFV Genetic modification of Brassica oleracea for resistance to turnip and cauliflower mosiac viruses. 0 0 0 0 
			 HP0212 Suppression of sprouting in stored potato tubers by molecular manipulation of abscisic acid levels. 0 0 0 0 
			 HP0218 Dormancy and water use effeciency in potato tubers 191,205 198,673 51,083 0 
			 NF0507 Functional genomics in marine algae to discover genes that can be used to produce docosahexaenoic acid in oilseed crops 0 0 0 0 
			 NF0511 Isolation, and expression in plants, of novel spider silk genes 0 0 0 0 
			 NT2305 Developing wheat genotypes with reduced nitrogen requirement by manipulation to decrease Rubisco content 0 0 0 0 
			 PH0301 Containment of GM plant viruses 0 0 0 0 
			 RG0113 Risk assessment and hazard evaluation for GM bacteria used in the biological control of fungal disease of crops 0 0 0 0 
			 RG0114 Consequences for agriculture of the introduction of GM crops 0 0 0 0 
			 RG0115 A generic mathematical model for the integrated management of a crop containing antifeedant genes 0 0 0 0 
			 RG0123 A desk study on the pollination distances of genetically modified crops 0 0 0 0 
			 VS0123 Methods for the detection of adventitious GM material in non-GM seed 0 0 0 0 
			 VS0126 Prediction, sampling and management of GM impurities in fields and harvested yields of oilseed rape 132,006 51,710 0 0 
			 VS0130 Desk study to review methods for sampling seed lots to determine the presence of GM material 0 0 0 0

Sewage System (London)

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has received, and when, from the Mayor of London regarding investment to modernise London's sewage system;
	(2)  when he expects to reach a decision regarding the proposed Tideway sewage scheme;
	(3)  how much sewage has entered the River Thames via storm overflows in each month since 2003;
	(4)  what measures are in place to assess the amount of sewage entering the River Thames via storm overflows.

Ian Pearson: The Department has received two letters (15 November 2004 and 20 June 2006) from the Mayor of London which raised the issue of funding for the London sewerage system.
	I expect to decide on a scheme to limit pollution from some of the sewer overflows in early 2007. This will then be taken forward for planning and funding applications.
	The Department has already been involved in decisions to address the issue of storm overflows at three London sewage treatment works. As a result, several major schemes, involving substantial expenditure, are planned through Thames Water over the next eight years, to significantly increase the secondary treatment capacity of these works (Beckton, Crossness and Mogden). These schemes will reduce overflow discharges, thereby protecting the fish species and environment of the River Thames.
	It is estimated that the total annual overflow discharges from the sewers and the sewage treatment works are around 50 million cubic metres. It is calculated that 32 million cubic metres is discharged from the sewer overflows, and 20 million cubic metres from the sewage treatment works (Crossness and Mogden). As aforementioned, work is in hand to significantly reduce overflow discharges from these sewage treatment works.
	For the monthly calculated volumes of untreated sewage discharged to the Thames from the sewer overflows from January 2001 to October 2004, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 December 2004,  Official Report, column 1112W. The calculated monthly volumes of untreated sewage discharged to the Thames Tideway from sewer overflows from 2004 to October 2006 are as follows. It is estimated that these volumes represent 60 per cent. of the total discharged from London's combined drainage system at these times.
	
		
			  Monthly discharges from storm water overflows to the estuarine Thames from 2004 to October 2006 
			  Cubic metres 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 January 9,281,000 288,200 1,289,002 
			 February 3,240,000 300,024 2,252,695 
			 March 44,000 1,933,298 841,200 
			 April 3,665,000 1,203,959 497,881 
			 May 3,268,000 n/a 4,570,477 
			 June 3,047,000 1,453,368 1,780,518 
			 July 1,260,000 744,100 n/a 
			 August 4,945,000 1,669,002 1,688,862 
			 September 446,000 1,918,585 4,993,643 
			 October 4,290,000 4,227,192 815,329 
			 November 268,000 200,250 n/a 
			 December 4,437,960 2,581,888 n/a 
		
	
	For January to October 2004 the volumes in the table are as in the answer given on 15 December 2004,  Official Report, column 1112W. November 2004 in the table represents a more up-to-date figure than that given in the answer of 15 December 2004.
	Volumes are calculated from the pumping records of the five largest pumping stations during wet weather. The calculation is the duration of spill events multiplied by the pumping rate of each of the pumping stations.
	Overflow discharges from the sewers are calculated from wet weather pumping records of the five largest pumping stations, and an estimate of the wet weather discharges from the other overflows. Flow monitoring at the sewage treatment works provide measurements of their overflow discharges.

Timber

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many cases of illegal tree felling Forest Enterprise has passed to the prosecuting authorities in each of the last five years, broken down by forestry district;
	(2)  how many cases of illegal tree felling have been prosecuted by the prosecuting authorities in each of the last five years, broken down by forestry district and what sentence was imposed in each case in which all proceedings are complete.

Barry Gardiner: Forestry is a devolved matter and prosecution for illegal tree felling in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the respective administrations. In England the Forestry Commission investigates reports of illegal tree felling and the decision to prosecute is made by the Commission.
	The number of investigations, prosecutions, sentences imposed and Restocking Notices issues over the last five years by Conservancy (region) are set out in the following table. These are recorded against the year in which investigation commenced, although prosecution may have occurred in the following year.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  Conservancy  Number  Sentence where prosecuted  Restocking notice issued 
			  East of England
			 Investigations 5   
			 Prosecutions 3 1) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   2) £2,500 Fine Yes 
			   3) Conditional Discharge Pending 
			  East Midlands
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £1,600 Fine Pending 
			 
			  North East
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North West
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £1,200 Fine Yes 
			 
			  South East
			 Investigations 15   
			 Prosecutions 7 1) £1,800 Fine Yes 
			   2) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   3) £1,200 Fine Pending 
			   4) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   5) Pending Court Hearing  
			   6) Pending Court Hearing  
			   7) Pending Court Hearing  
			 
			  South West
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecution 1 1) Pending Court Hearing  
			 
			  West Midlands
			 Investigations 8   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecutions 0   
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  Conservancy  Number  Sentence where prosecuted  Restocking notice issued 
			  East of England
			 Investigations 4   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £800 Fine Yes 
			 
			  East Midlands
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £2,250 Fine Yes 
			 
			  North East
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North West
			 Investigations 5   
			 Prosecutions 4 1) £2,000 Fine No 
			   2) £1,000 Fine Yes 
			   3) £750 Fine Yes 
			   4) £1,000 Fine Yes 
			 
			  South East
			 Investigations 11   
			 Prosecutions 3 1) £1,000 Fine Yes 
			   2) £1,600 Fine Yes 
			   3) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			 
			  South West
			 Investigations 3   
			 Prosecution 0   
			 
			  West Midlands
			 Investigations 3   
			 Prosecutions 1 1) £4,000 Fine Yes 
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 Investigations 3   
			 Prosecutions 1 1) £200 Fine Yes 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			  Conservancy  Number  Sentence where prosecuted  Restocking notice issued 
			  East of England
			 Investigations 7   
			 Prosecutions 2 1) 500 Fine Yes 
			   2) 2,500 Fine Yes 
			 
			  East Midlands
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North East
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North West
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £300 Fine Yes 
			 
			  South East
			 Investigations 16   
			 Prosecutions 2 1) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   2) Case Withdrawn No 
			 
			  South West
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £500 Fine Yes 
			 
			  West Midlands
			 Investigations 7   
			 Prosecutions 2 1) £500 Fine No 
			   2) £2,000 Fine Yes 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 Investigations 3   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £1,800 Fine Yes 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			  Conservancy  Number   Sentence where prosecuted  Restocking notice issued 
			  East of England
			 Investigations 2 1) £1,000 Fine Yes 
			 Prosecutions 2 2) £500 Fine Yes 
			 
			  East Midlands
			 Investigations 3   
			 Prosecutions 2 1 ) Absolute Discharge No 
			   2) £750 Fine Yes 
			 
			  North East
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £2,000 Fine Yes 
			 
			  North West
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecutions 2 1) £300 Fine Yes 
			   2) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			 
			  South East
			 Investigations 8   
			 Prosecutions 3 1) £750 Fine Yes 
			   2) £2,500 Fine Yes 
			   3) £300 Fine Yes 
			 
			  South West
			 Investigations 5   
			 Prosecutions 3 1) £300 Fine No 
			   2) £1,200 Fine Yes 
			   3) £1,250 Fine Yes 
			 
			  West Midlands
			 Investigations 4   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecutions 0   
		
	
	
		
			  2001-02 
			  Conservancy  Number  Sentence where prosecuted  Restocking notice issued 
			  East of England
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			  East Midlands
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North East
			 Investigations 0   
			 Prosecutions 0   
			 
			  North West
			 Investigations 2   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £2,000 Fine Yes 
			 
			  South East
			 Investigations 9   
			 Prosecutions 3 1) £1,300 Fine Yes 
			   2) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   3) £1,800 Fine No 
			 
			  South West
			 Investigations 4   
			 Prosecutions 2 1 ) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			   2) Conditional Discharge Yes 
			 
			  West Midlands
			 Investigations 6   
			 Prosecutions 2 1) £200 Fine Yes 
			   2) £2,500 Fine Yes 
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 Investigation 1   
			 Prosecution 1 1) £1,600 Fine Yes 
			  Note:  An investigation takes place where tree felling has been reported on a site where no valid permission has been issued. This investigation is to ascertain whether an offence may have been committed. A high number of these investigations conclude that either no offence has been committed of there is insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal prosecution.

A2

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) minor and  (b) serious accidents occurred on the A2 in Bexley Borough in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of  (a) slight and  (b) serious personal injury road accidents reported to the police that occurred on the A2 in Bexley borough in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005 is given in the table.
	
		
			  Accidents by severity on A2 in Bexley borough: 2004-05 
			  Severity  2004  2005 
			 Serious 2 7 
			 Slight 24 32 
			  Source: TfL London Road Safety Unit.

Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies to agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Gillian Merron: DFT(C) have call off contracts with Adecco, Brook Street and Reed, who are contracted to provide temporary staff when required. This contract is also used by some of the Department's executive agencies. The following tables show the average hourly rates (across pay-bands) for each agency. The information held is from 2002 onwards and hourly rates for each pay-band are agreed with the agencies as part of their contract with the Department.
	
		
			   London Rates 
			   Adecco  Brook Street  Reed 
			 2002 12.45 11.92 13.17 
			 2003 12.79 12.32 13.62 
			 2004 13.06 12.53 13.91 
			 2005 13.61 13.10 14.50 
			 2006 14.27 13.28 14.49 
		
	
	
		
			   Regional Rates 
			   Adecco  Brook Street  Reed 
			 2002 12.24 9.89 10.07 
			 2003 12.24 10.25 10.40 
			 2004 12.49 10.48 10.63 
			 2005 13.02 10.93 11.06 
			 2006 Not available Not available Not available 
		
	
	In addition some of the Department's executive agencies also use other agencies to provide temporary staff. Details of these are as follows:
	Highways Agency—£13.19
	
		
			   GCDA (£) 
			 2001-02 9.39 
			 2002-03 10.31 
			 2003-04 10.38 
			 2004-05 11.32 
			 2005-06 11.00 
		
	
	The use of temporary staff is something that the Department only considers to cover a short term temporary period such as covering leave or while a permanent resource is found. The Department actively manage their headcount and will consider any displaced staff for temporary roles prior to obtaining a temporary agency worker.

Flight Statistics

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) long haul and  (b) short haul commercial flights took off from UK airports in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The number of flights that took off from UK airports in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Commercial flights from UK airports 
			  Thousand 
			   Short haul( 1)  Long haul( 2) 
			 2001 942 100 
			 2002 940 99 
			 2003 967 101 
			 2004 1,015 113 
			 2005 1,068 123 
			 (1) Short haul includes flights within UK (domestic), to oil rigs and to Europe (includes EU-25, Norway, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Turkey and Former Yugoslavia).(2) Long haul includes flights to all countries outside of Europe. Source: Civil Aviation Authority

Road Safety

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cyclists were  (a) injured and  (b) killed in road traffic accidents in (i) the Metropolitan Police area of London, (ii) Southend, (iii) Essex and (iv) England and Wales in (A) 2005 and (B) 2006.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of cyclists  (a) injured and  (b) killed in personal injury road accidents reported to the police in (i) the Metropolitan Police area of London, (ii) Southend, (iii) Essex and (iv) England and Wales in 2005 are given in the following table. Data for 2006 are not available.
	
		
			  Number of cyclists killed and injured in road traffic injury accidents: 2005 
			   Fatal  Injured( 1)  Total 
			 England and Wales 132 15,650 15,782 
			 Metropolitan Police(2) 20 2,779 2,799 
			 Southend 0 73 73 
			 Thurrock 1 32 33 
			 Essex County (excluding the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock) 2 342 344 
			 (1) Includes slight and serious injuries.(2) Excludes City of London Police.

Road Safety

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many serious accidents have occurred on  (a) the A406 North Circular Road between the Lee Valley and the A105 Green Lanes and  (b) the A10 between Tottenham and the M25 in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of serious personal injury accidents reported to the police on  (a) the A406 North Circular Road between the Lee Valley at the junction of A1009 Hall lane and the A105 Green Lanes; and  (b) the A10 between the junction of A109 at Tottenham and its junction with M25 for the last five years are given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of serious personal injury road accidents 2001-05 
			   (a)  (b)  Junction included in both (a) and (b)( 1) 
			 2000 18 20 3 
			 2001 14 23 2 
			 2002 20 19 3 
			 2003 20 24 a 
			 2004 14 13 1 
			 2005 3 17 0 
			 (1) The figures given in columns (a) and (b) have a junction which is common to both lengths of road and therefore the accidents on that junction will be included in both sets of figures. The separate figures for this junction are given in the main answer.  Source: TFL LRSU

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on advertising warning of the dangers of  (a) drink driving,  (b) driving after consuming illegal drugs,  (c) driving whilst using a mobile telephone and  (d) driving over the speed limit in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The dangers of drink driving, drug driving, speeding and driving while using a mobile telephone form part of the Government's THINK! road safety campaign. The Government are investing around £15 million in the THINK! campaign in this fiscal year.
	The campaign advertising costs for the above campaigns since 2002-2003 fiscal year are as follows:
	
		
			  Campaign  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Drink Driving £1 .64 million £2.1 million £2.31 million £2.7 million (1)£3.0 million 
			 Drug Driving nil £138,000 £150,000 £223,000 (1)£260,000 
			 Mobile Phones £189,000 £900,000 £411,000 500,000 (1)£400,000 
			 Speed £1.76 million £1.6 million £1.87 million £1.64 million (1)£2.1 million 
			 (1 )Expected outturn 
		
	
	Following departmental reorganisations, provision of total expenditure figures for prior to 2002 would involve disproportionate costs.

Absence Rates

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days were lost through absence in  (a) private sector businesses and  (b) public sector organisations in the last 12 months.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 October 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about days lost through absence in the private and public sectors. I am replying in her absence. (91871)
	The number of days lost through sickness absence in a specific year is not available. However the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a continuous survey throughout the year, asks employed respondents for the number of working days lost due to sickness or injury during the week before the LFS interview. The attached table shows these estimates for interviews carried out between April and June 2005 and 2006. It is not possible to scale this data, which reflects specific points in time, to represent an annual period. In addition, different employment and working patterns affect whether the question is actually asked and the actual responses to the question.
	These estimates from the LFS are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		
			  Number of days lost due to sickness absence( 1 ) by public or private sector, 2005 and 2006 United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			  LFS survey period April-June  Private sector  Public sector 
			  2005   
			 Number of days lost in the LFS interview week(2) 982 522 
			 Absence rate(3) 2.4 2.8 
			
			  2006   
			 Number of days lost in the LFS interview week(2) 951 444 
			 Absence rate(3) 2.2 2.6 
			 (1) Employees scheduled to work in the reference week for the survey period April-June. (2) Quarterly and annual estimates constructed by multiplying these data by 13 or 52 would not be representative of these periods because sickness absence over the period of a specific week is not representative of a longer period and different employment and working patterns affect the responses to the question. (3) Employees absent for at least one day in the LFS interview week due to sickness absence as a percentage of all employees in each sector.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Average Wages

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) average wage for (i) full-time male, (ii) full-time female, (iii) part-time male and (iv) part-time female employees and  (b) average household income for working age households was in City of York council area in (1) cash and (2) constant price terms in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 9 October 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) wage for (i) full-time male, (ii) full-time female, (iii) part time male and (iv) part time female employees and (b) average household income for working age households was in City of York council area in (1) cash and (2) constant price terms in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (88725).
	Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work. I have attached tables containing statistics on earnings from the ASHE for the years 1997-2005 which are all that is available. The second table shows these earnings statistics expressed in 2005 prices by using the Retail Price Index (RPI).
	Average household income for working age households by council area is not available. Household income statistics for all households in the UK, based on the Family Resources Survey, are produced by the Department of Work and Pensions. Additionally the Office for National Statistics has produced statistics for wards for 2001-02 only. These estimates are based on a statistical model and are experimental statistics - they have been developed in accordance with the principles set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice but are not accredited as National Statistics.
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes, but because of its sampling frame, it has difficulty capturing data on people with very low pay. It is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold.
	
		
			  Gross weekly (cash £) pay for employee jobs( 1)  by place of work—City of York 
			  £ 
			   Median  Mean 
			   Full-time male  Full-time female  Part-time male  Part-time female  Full-time male  Full-time female  Part-time male  Part-time female 
			 1997 363 235 x 89 397 260 x 103 
			 1998 372 250 x 95 420 284 x 106 
			 1999 382 267 x 101 432 303 x 111 
			 2000 403 286 x 117 462 320 93 126 
			 2001 402 303 x 116 447 331 x 132 
			 2002 448 306 x 125 475 349 x 138 
			 2003 457 317 x 129 517 369 146 150 
			 2004 472 342 x 130 526 399 158 150 
			 2004(2) 460 342 x 126 505 398 x 147 
			 2005 455 359 x 134 508 401 141 155 
		
	
	
		
			  Gross weekly (constant price £) pay for employee jobs( 3)  by place of work—City of York 
			  £ 
			   Median  Mean 
			   Full-time male  Full-time female  Part-time male  Part-time female  Full-time male  Full-time female  Part-time male  Part-time female 
			 1997 445 288 x 109 487 319 x 126 
			 1998 438 294 x 112 495 335 x 125 
			 1999 443 310 x 117 501 352 x 129 
			 2000 454 322 x 132 520 360 105 142 
			 2001 445 336 x 128 495 367 x 146 
			 2002 489 334 x 136 518 381 x 150 
			 2003 483 335 x 136 547 390 154 159 
			 2004 499 353 x 134 543 412 163 155 
			 2004(2) 475 353 x 130 521 411 x 152 
			 2005 455 359 x 134 508 401 141 155 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. From1997-2005 estimates are based on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.  (2 )In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.  (3) Constant price terms have been uprated using the Retail Prices Index (RPI), re-based at April 2005.  Guide to qualify The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 percent., we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. The above estimates all have a CV of less than 5 percent. An x has been given for estimates with a CV of greater than 20 percent.   Note: The median replaces the mean as the headline statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 percent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Cancer

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were diagnosed with any form of cancer in each year between 2000-01 and 2004-05.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with any from of cancer in each year between 2000-01 and 2004-05. (91566)
	The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidences) are for the year 2004 and were published on 28(th) September 2006. Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of all malignant cancers registered in England between 2000 and 2004 are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Newly diagnosed cases of all malignant cancers( 1 ) registered in England 
			  Number 
			 2000 223,609 
			 2001 224,650 
			 2002 223,789 
			 2003 227,472 
			 2004 233,621 
			 (1 )'All malignant cancers' are defined by codes C00-C97 excluding non-melanoma skin cancer code C44 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10)  Source:Office of National Statistics Years 2000-2003—Table1 'Cancer Statistics: registrations, England' series MB1 http://www.statisitcs.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asap?vink=8843&Pos=1&ColRank=2&Rank=272 Year 2004—'Cancer Registrations in England, 2004' first release http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vink=7720

Clostridium Difficile

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many death certificates in England and Wales in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005 (i) mentioned  Clostridium difficile and (ii) listed  Clostridium difficile as the underlying cause of death; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many death certificates in England and Wales in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 (i) mentioned  Clostridium difficile and (ii) listed  Clostridium difficile as the underlying cause of death. (89860)
	Special analyses of deaths involving  Clostridium difficile are undertaken annually by ONS for England and Wales. These are published in Health Statistics Quarterly. The latest year for which such figures are available is 2004. Information on the numbers of deaths between 1999 and 2004 involving  Clostridium difficile was published in "Health Statistics Quarterly" 30 in May 2006. The table below is extracted from this report:
	
		
			  Number of death certificates in England and Wales( 1)  which (i) mentioned Clostridium difficile( 2)  and (ii) listed Clostridium difficile as the underlying cause of death( 3)  in 2003 and 2004( 4) 
			   (a) 2003  (b) 2004 
			 (i) Certificates mentioning  Clostridium difficile 1,788 2,247 
			 (ii) Certificates where  Clostridium difficile was the underlying cause of death 958 1,245 
			 (1) Data includes non-residents who died in England and Wales  (2) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (2005) Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile England and Wales. 1999-2004. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 30, 56-60.  (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (4) Deaths occurring in 2003 and 2004

Employment Statistics

Hugh Bayley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were  (a) employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time and  (b) unemployed in (A) the City of York constituency, (B) City of York Council area, (C) Yorkshire and the Humber and (D) United Kingdom (1) at the latest date for which figures are available and (2) at the same date in each of the previous 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 October 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to-reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about employment and unemployment. I am replying in her absence. (88924)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment and unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of people in employment, by full-time and pan-time status, and the levels and rates of unemployment for people resident in the City of York Parliamentary Constituency for the 12 months ending in February from 1996 to 2004 from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 month periods ending in March 2005 and December 2005. Table 2. attached, shows corresponding data for the City of York Unitary Authority; Table 3 for the Yorkshire and the Humber region and Table 4 for the United Kingdom.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). Table 5, attached, shows the number of claimants of JSA resident in the City of York Parliamentary Constituency, City of York Unitary Authority. Yorkshire and the H umber region and the United Kingdom for each June from 1996 to 2006 and as a proportion of the resident working age population.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employment, by full-time and part-time status, and unemployment City of York parliamentary constituency. 
			   Employment (16+) (000)   Unemployment (16+)  
			  12 months ending: ( 1) Total  Full-time  Part-time  Working age employment rate (percentage)  Total (000)  Rate (percentage) 
			 February 1996 51 38 13 75.3 n/a n/a 
			 February 1997 44 32 12 68.1 4 8.0 
			 February 1998 45 31 14 68.9 4 7.3 
			 February 1999 48 33 15 73.4 3 6.4 
			 February 2000 45 34 12 76.7 2 5.2 
			 February 2001 51 36 15 78.0 3 4.9 
			 February 2002 51 36 16 76.5 2 4.3 
			 February 2003 54 37 16 77.4 2 3.9 
			 February 2004 53 37 16 76.6 3 4.7 
			 March 2005 55 39 16 75.4 2 3.1 
			 December 2005 52 38 14 76.1 2 2.9 
			 (1)Includes people who did not state whether they worked full-time or part-time.n/a not available Note:Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment, by full-time and part-time status, and unemployment; City of York Unitary Authority. 
			   Employment (16+) (000)Unemployment (16+) 
			  12 months ending ( 1) Total  Full-time  Part-time  Working age employment rate (percentage)  Total (000)  Rate (percentage) 
			 February 1996 87 62 25 77.9 5 5.8 
			 February 1997 82 59 23 75.4 4 4.7 
			 February 1998 77 57 20 72.4 4 5.0 
			 February 199S 83 59 24 76.4 5 5.7 
			 February 2000 83 61 22 76.0 4 4.3 
			 February 2001 93 64 29 81.0 4 3.8 
			 February 2002 93 66 27 79.5 4 3.9 
			 February 2003 93 65 28 79.1 3 3.1 
			 February 2004 92 65 27 79.1 4 4.0 
			 March 2005 92 65 27 79.0 2 2.2 
			 December 2005 92 66 25 78.7 2 2.1 
			 (1)Includes people who did not state whether they worked full-time or part-time. Note:Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Employment, by full-time and part-time status, and unemployment; Yorkshire and the Number region.. 
			   Employment (16+) (000)|   Unemployment (16+) 
			  12 months ending ( 1) Total  Full-time  Part-time  Working age employment rate (percentage)  Total (000)  Rate (percentage) 
			 February 1996 2,173, 1,603 566 71.2 200 8.4 
			 February 1997 2,151 1,590 560 70.4 198 8.4 
			 February 1998 2,170 1,594 576 71.1 172 7.3 
			 February 1999 2,212 1,616 595 72.6 164 6.9 
			 February 2000 2,211 1,620 591 72.6 152 6.4 
			 February 2001 2,259 1,634 624 73.6 140 5.9 
			 February 2002 2,265 1,658 606 73.4 121 5.1 
			 February 2003 2,280 1,664 616 73.3 119 5.0 
			 February 2004 2,312 1,671 641 73.9 121 5.0 
			 March 2005 2,320 1,696 623 74.1 105 4.3 
			 December 2005 2,327 1,697 629 74.1 115 4.7 
			 (1)Includes people who did not state whether they worked full-time or part-time. Note:Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Employment, by full-time and part-time status, and unemployment; United Kingdom. 
			   Employment (16+) (000)   Unemployment (16+) 
			  12 months ending ( 1) Total  Full-time  Part-time  Working age employment rate (percentage)  Total (000)  Rate (percentage) 
			 February 1996 25,721 19,409 6,270 71.2 2,400 8.5 
			 February 1997 26,011 19,482 6,520 71.9 2,207 7.8 
			 February 1998 26,357 19,752 6,594 72.6 1,911 6.8 
			 February 1999 26,659 19,996 6,655 73.3 1,730 6.1 
			 February 2000 26,908 20,142 6,758 73.6 1,689 5.9 
			 February 2001 27,180 20,283 6,887 73.9 1,518 5.3 
			 February 2002 27,433 20,508 6,915 74.1 1,450 5.0 
			 February 2003 27,566 20,484 7,067 74.0 1,494 5.1 
			 February 2004 27,789 20,538 7,237 74.1 1,444 4.9 
			 March 2005 28,039 20,836 7,184 74.3 1,381 4.7 
			 December 2005 28,134 20,868 7,249 74.3 1,436 4.9 
			 (1)Includes people who did not state whether they worked full-time or part-time. Note:Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey: Annual Population .Survey

Enterprise Development Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was allocated to the enterprise development fund in each year since 1999; how much has been awarded from the fund in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no enterprise development fund in DTI/SBS.
	Following a review of SME finance markets, The enterprise fund (not the enterprise development fund) was created in 1999. This was designed to improve access to equity investment support, for SMEs with growth potential, and to improve the small firms loan guarantee.
	The following table sets out Government's total investment in SME equity programmes.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Allocated (committed)  Awarded (drawn down) 
			 1999-000 — — 
			 2000-01 20,000,000 20,000,000 
			 2001-02 37,375,000 2,100,000 
			 2002-03 59,650,000 11,889,329 
			 2003-04 23,875,000 28,367,661 
			 2004-05 5,000,000 31,123,908 
			 2005-06 - 22,898,829 
			 Total 145,900,000 116,379,727 
		
	
	'Allocated' is the total amount of money committed for investment by Government, and 'Awarded' is the total amount of funds drawn down against these commitments.
	Venture Capital (VC) funds have an investment period of between five-six years. On signing the Limited Partnership Agreement with each investor, the Fund will typically draw down 10 per cent of each investor's total commitment in the first instance and access further monies as and when they are requested. Typically VC funds will not make their first investment until several months following the Funds' launch. Investment levels tend to peak in years three-four.
	The number of loans guaranteed, their value and that of the demands made against the guarantee in each year since 1999 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Loans guaranteed  Value of loans (£ million)  Value of demands (£ million) 
			 1999-2000 4279 206.00 38.95 
			 2000-01 4312 240.46 34.43 
			 2001-02 4269 254.70 44.93 
			 2002-03 3916 269.00 50.00 
			 2003-04 5966 409.30 52.68 
			 2004-05 7130 481.30 57.42 
			 2005-06 5957 422.10 76.10 
			 Total 35,829 2,282.86 354.51

Household Finance

Philip Hammond: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has collated on household savings ratios, broken down by  (a) household type and  (b) band of income, for each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on households saving ratio. (90454)
	We are unable to provide households saving ratios, broken down by household type or band of income. The following table shows the households saving ratio for the whole of the UK.
	
		
			   Households saving ratio 
			 1997 9.5 
			 1998 7.0 
			 1999 5.3 
			 2000 5.1 
			 2001 6.4 
			 2002 5.0 
			 2003 4.9 
			 2004 3.7 
			 2005 4.8 
			  Note:When using Table A40 of United Kingdom Economic Accounts (weblink given below) the database identifier is NRJS. 
		
	
	The estimates of the households saving ratio are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions sewing households (NP1SH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. Examples of NPISHs are: charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments: trade unions; professional associations, political parties and religious organisations, and sports clubs and associations.
	Further data are available from table A40 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address: http://statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904&Pos=ColRank=1&Rank=422

Immigrants (Geographic Dispersal)

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what statistics are available on the geographic dispersal of immigrants who are of ethnic Kurdish origin in the UK between 2000 and 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what statistics are available on the geographic dispersal of immigrants who are of ethnic Kurdish origin in the UK between 2000 and 2005. (91572)
	The most recent data was collected on both country of birth and ethnic origin in the 2001 Census. A person born outside of the UK can be said to have migrated to the UK at some point in their life but it should be noted that the 'Country of Birth' variable gives neither an indication of the nationality of the respondent (in 2001 or at the time of their birth) nor any information on when that person travelled to the UK.
	The 2001 Census ethnic group question did not contain a separate tick-box response category for 'Kurdish', therefore the count is based on those who wrote in 'Kurd' or 'Kurdish' in the space provided for other ethnic groups. It may underestimate the total Kurdish population, because questions requiring a written response are more likely to be left blank than those with a tick-box.
	Specially commissioned table C0741 has been run to identify the number of people who identified themselves as being of Kurdish ethnic origin who were born inside and outside of the UK. The results have been reproduced below for convenience and can also be obtained via a request to Census.customerservices@ons.gsi.gov.uk
	
		
			  UK 
			   Kurdish 
			  Area  All Kurdish  Born inside the UK  Born outside the UK 
			 UK 12,405 1,564 10,841 
			 England 11,894 1,521 10,373 
			 North East GOR 158 0 158 
			 North West GOR 398 51 347 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber GOR 341 17 324 
			 East Midlands GOR 146 11 135 
			 West Midlands GOR 454 14 440 
			 East GOR 407 28 379 
			 London GOR 9,413 1,338 8,075 
			 South East GOR 422 42 380 
			 South West GOR 155 20 135 
			 Wales 115 18 97 
			 Scotland 379 25 354 
			 Northern Ireland 17 0 17 
			  Source: 2001 Census: Table C0741.

Immigrants (Geographic Dispersal)

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people of ethnic Kurdish origin live in  (a) Greater London,  (b) Manchester,  (c) Birmingham and  (d) Glasgow.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people of ethnic Kurdish origin live in (a) Greater London, (b) Manchester, (c) Birmingham and (d) Glasgow. (91573)
	The most recent data available on people who identify themselves as Kurdish is from the 2001 Census. The ethnic group question did not contain a separate tick-box response category for 'Kurdish', therefore the count is based on those who wrote in 'Kurd' or 'Kurdish' in the space provided for other ethnic groups. It may underestimate the total Kurdish population, because questions requiring a written response are more likely to be left blank than those with a tick-box.
	Specially commissioned table C0742 has been run to identify the number of people who identified themselves as being of Kurdish ethnic origin in (a) London GOR, (b) Manchester LAD, (c) Birmingham LAD and (d) Glasgow city. The results have been reproduced below for convenience and can also be obtained via a request to Census.customerservices@ons.gsi.gov.uk
	
		
			  Great Britain 
			  Area  All Kurdish 
			 London GOR 9,413 
			 Manchester LAD 156 
			 Birmingham LAD 206 
			 Glasgow City 298 
			  Source: 2001 Census: Table C0742.

Immigrants (Geographic Dispersal)

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people of  (a) black Caribbean,  (b) black African,  (c) Indian,  (d) Pakistani,  (e) Bangladeshi and  (f) Chinese ethnic origin live in rural areas in England and Wales.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people of (a) black Carribbean, (b) black African, (c) Indian, (d) Pakistani, (e) Bangladeshi and (f) Chinese ethnic origin live in rural areas in England and Wales. (91621)
	Figures on urban and rural areas are only available for 2001, Census year. In England and Wales urban areas are defined by Department of Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) as settlements with a usually resident population of 10,000 or more people. Rural areas are not specifically defined but the remainder i.e. those people who live either in settlements of under 10,000 people or do not live in a settlement are generally considered to live in a rural area. The table below has been presented on this basis.
	The figures have been extracted from Table KS06 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 Rural and Urban Classification 2004, which is available on request from the Office for National Statistics Census Customer Services [census.customerservices@ons.gsi.gov.uk].
	
		
			  England and Wales 
			   All people living outside settlements of 10,000 people or more 
			   Asian or Asian British  Black or Black British  Chinese or other ethnic group 
			  Area  Indian  Pakistani  Bangladeshi  Black Caribbean  Black African  Chinese 
			 England and Wales 23,692 7,508 3,119 9,008 7,227 16,795 
			  Note:In England and Wales, settlements with 10,000 or more people are defined as urban and settlements with less than 10,000 people are defined as rural. Source:Table KS06 in the Census 2001 Rural and Urban Classification 2004.

Manufacturing Employment

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of manufacturing employment was in  (a) 1979,  (b) 1997,  (c) 1999,  (d) 2004 and  (e) 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the level of employment in manufacturing. (89602)
	The available statistics for the UK manufacturing industry are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Workforce jobs in the UK manufacturing industry, June each year 
			   Thousand 
			 1979 7,094 
			 1997 4,514 
			 1999 4,372 
			 2004 3,545 
			 2005 3,383 
			  Note: Figures are seasonally adjusted. 
		
	
	These estimates are based on sample surveys and are therefore subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Mortality Rates

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mortality rate among  (a) men and  (b) women has been in each year since 1976, broken down by socio-economic group.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 October 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate amongst a) men and b) women has been in each year since 1976, broken down by socio-economic group. I am replying in her absence. (92032)
	Before 2001 ONS reported on socio-economic variations in mortality using the Registrar General's social class classification (based on occupation of the deceased). Mortality rates by social class have been published by ONS using data from annual death registrations, and population figures from the decennial census. As populations by social class are only available every ten years, mortality rates based on them cannot be calculated every year. Rates for the periods 1970-1972, 1979-1983 and 1991-1993, were published in a table in the ONS Decennial Supplement, Health Inequalities, which is shown in the attached table.
	Rates are reported only for men, as over half of deaths of women could not be classified to a social class using their own occupation. As the rates are based on occupations recorded in two different data sources (at death registration and in the census) there was also the potential that differences between the two could affect the results. This potential 'numerator/denominator bias' has been limited by restricting analysis to men aged 20-64.
	From 2001 onwards the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC) has replaced social class as the classification used by ONS to routinely report socio-economic status. NS-SEC was also used to code results from the 2001 Census. ONS has not yet published mortality rates by NS-SEC.
	
		
			  European standardised mortality rate by social class, men aged 20 to 64, all causes, England and Wales 
			   Death rates per 100,000 population 
			   Social class  1970-72  1979-83( 1)  1991-93 
			 I Professional 500 373 280 
			 II Managerial and Technical 526 425 300 
			 IIIN Skilled (non-manual) 637 522 426 
			 IIIM Skilled (manual) 683 580 493 
			 IV Partly skilled 721 639 492 
			 V Unskilled 897 910 806 
			  England and Wales 624 549 419 
			 (1) Excludes deaths in 1981 as the industrial dispute involving Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages in England and Wales produced occupation details of uncertain quality. Source:Table 8.5, Health Inequalities, Decennial Supplement No 15, Drever F and Whitehead M (1997) The Stationery Office, London

Public Sector Employment

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of all those in employment were employed by the public sector in each year since 1996 in  (a) the UK,  (b) England,  (c) Wales,  (d) Scotland,  (e) Northern Ireland and  (f) each Government Office region.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about public sector employment by country and region. (89403)
	The available estimates, which are annual averages of quarterly figures, are shown in the attached table. Figures by region are not available earlier than 1999.
	These estimates are based on returns from public sector organisations, combined with approximate breakdowns from the Labour Force Survey for Wales and the English regions. As these figures are partly based on sample surveys, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Public sector employment by region and country of workplace; headcount 
			   North East  North West  Yorks and Humber  East Midlands  East  London  South East 
			  Public sector employment level (thousand) 
			 1999 238 593 440 321 435 413 710 
			 2000 230 641 460 316 428 428 675 
			 2001 244 663 439 319 448 430 706 
			 2002 252 661 459 330 466 440 724 
			 2008 252 680 496 340 467 468 711 
			 2004 262 675 496 368 476 487 739 
			 2005 260 683 492 360 495 470 751 
			  Public sector employment as a percentage of all in employment 
			 1999 23 20 20 17 18 17 19 
			 2000 22 21 20 17 18 17 18 
			 2001 24 22 19 17 18 17 18 
			 2002 24 21 20 17 19 17 19 
			 2003 23 22 21 17 19 18 18 
			 2004 24 21 21 19 19 19 19 
			 2005 24 21 21 18 20 18 19 
		
	
	
		
			   South East  South West  England  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland  United Kingdom 
			  Public sector employment level (thousand) 
			 1999 629 427 4,205 286 529 197 5,218 
			 2000 638 451 4,266 297 532 200 5,295 
			 2001 643 456 4,349 295 536 202 5,383 
			 2002 644 472 4,448 304 545 206 5,503 
			 2008 670 486 4,571 316 558 212 5,656 
			 2004 696 483 4,682 303 571 216 5,772 
			 2005 706 521 4,738 304 581 219 5,842 
			  Public sector employment as a percentage of all in employment 
			 1999 16 18 18 24 23 29 19 
			 2000 16 19 18 24 22 29 19 
			 2001 17 19 19 25 23 29 19 
			 2002 16 19 19 25 23 29 20 
			 2003 17 20 19 24 23 29 20 
			 2004 18 20 20 23 23 30 20 
			 2005 18 21 20 23 24 29 20

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals are under antisocial behaviour orders in each local government authority in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 13 antisocial behaviour orders being granted in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Area  Number of orders 
			 Ballymena Borough Council 2 
			 Dungannon District Council 1 
			 Larne District Council 3 
			 Magherafelt District Council 1 
			 Newry and Mourne City Council 1 
			 Belfast City Council (1)1 
			 Coleraine Borough Council (1)2 
			 Derry City Council (1)2 
			 (1) Interim.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what plans he has to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made in Northern Ireland in each parliamentary constituency since their introduction;
	(4)  what plans he has to introduce  (a) parenting orders and  (b) individual support orders alongside antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland;
	(5)  whether he plans to increase the powers of county courts to make an antisocial behaviour order where there are other related proceedings.

David Hanson: The Government have not received any recent representations on the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders. As the Secretary of State announced in March, the Northern Ireland Office is planning to evaluate the implementation of antisocial behaviour orders during 2006-07.
	The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 13 antisocial behaviour orders being granted in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Area  Number of orders 
			 Ballymena Borough Council 2 
			 Dungannon District Council 1 
			 Larne District Council 3 
			 Magherafelt District Council 1 
			 Newry and Mourne City Council 1 
			 Belfast City Council (1)1 
			 Coleraine Borough Council (1)2 
			 Derry City Council (1)2 
			 (1) Interim. 
		
	
	We do not collect data by parliamentary constituency.
	There are currently no plans to empower county courts to be able to make antisocial behaviour orders where there are related proceedings. We continue to monitor the use of parenting orders and individual support orders in Great Britain in order to inform any consideration of these measures for Northern Ireland.

Assaults

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many assaults there have been within each local government authority area of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI does not record information by local government authority. Details of assaults by district command unit are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Assaults by district command unit 
			  DCU  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Antrim 707 506 611 649 554 
			 Ards 739 762 849 755 798 
			 East Belfast 826 1,010 1,058 923 918 
			 North Belfast 1,814 1,651 1,694 1,596 1,721 
			 South Belfast 2,379 2,280 2,291 2,119 2,356 
			 West Belfast 1,068 1,080 1,098 1,165 1,198 
			 Carrickfergus 384 358 393 371 403 
			 Castlereagh 468 447 462 433 414 
			 Larne 352 351 344 319 347 
			 Lisburn 1,195 1,256 1,494 1,527 1,488 
			 Newtownabbey 805 778 905 838 934 
			 North Down 667 803 850 863 907 
			 Armagh 486 525 493 484 489 
			 Banbridge 533 571 556 555 578 
			 Ballymena 634 736 837 936 849 
			 Ballymoney 151 224 187 252 240 
			 Coleraine 696 872 975 1,016 1,038 
			 Cookstown 438 409 466 499 444 
			 Craigavon 880 1,034 1,257 1,308 1,243 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 455 453 507 495 547 
			 Down 659 802 759 724 882 
			 Fermanagh 382 447 425 443 567 
			 Foyle 1,813 1,725 1,733 1,796 1,944 
			 Limavady 414 479 486 570 601 
			 Magherafelt 303 355 432 374 444 
			 Moyle 170 212 192 203 189 
			 Newry and Mourne 720 910 911 945 1,011 
			 Omagh 606 664 733 664 650 
			 Strabane 673 622 670 632 517 
			 Northern Ireland 21,419 22,322 23,668 23,454 24,271 
			  Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI.

Belfast-Dublin Railway Line

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated to track and rolling stock on the Belfast-Dublin railway line in each of the last 15 years.

David Cairns: Translink has provided the following details of investment in track and rolling stock on the Belfast-Dublin railway line from 1993. Unfortunately figures for 1991 and 1992 are not available.
	
		
			  (£) 
			   Track Relay  New Rolling Stock 
			 1993 1,383 — 
			 1994 2,300 3,400 
			 1995 1,268 5,800 
			 1996 5,661 3,100 
			 1997 5,106 1,500 
			 1998 1,440 1,500 
			 1999 9,258 — 
			 2000 4,738 — 
			 2001 102 — 
			 2002 37 — 
			 2003 156 — 
			 2004 250 — 
			 2005 250 —

Breast Cancer

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rates of breast cancer per 1,000 women over the age of 50 years were in each district council area in Northern Ireland in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The following table details the age standardised incidence rate of breast cancer (ICD-10 C50) in females aged 50 and over in Northern Ireland by district council area between 1999 and 2003.
	
		
			  Table 1: Breast cancer in females aged 50 and over in Northern Ireland, 1999-2003 
			   Number of new cases  Crude incidence rate (per 1,000 females)  Age standardised incidence rate (per 1,000 females) 
			 Antrim 90 2.6 2.6 (2.1, 3.2) 
			 Ards 177 2.8 2.8 (2.4, 3.2) 
			 Armagh 112 2.8 2.8 (2.3, 3.3) 
			 Ballymena 130 2.6 2.6 (2.1, 3.0) 
			 Ballymoney 65 3.1 3.1 (2.3, 3.8) 
			 Banbridge 88 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.4) 
			 Belfast 665 2.8 2.8 (2.6, 3.0) 
			 Carrickfergus 92 3.1 3.1 (2.5, 3.7) 
			 Castlereagh 156 2.6 2.6 (2.2, 3.0) 
			 Coleraine 127 2.7 2.7 (2.2, 3.1) 
			 Cookstown 59 2.6 2.6 (1.9, 3.3) 
			 Craigavon 179 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) 
			 Derry 161 2.4 2.5 (2.1, 2.9) 
			 Down 158 3.2 3.3 (2.7, 3.8) 
			 Dungannon 97 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.4) 
			 Fermanagh 121 2.7 2.7 (2.2, 3.2) 
			 Larne 77 2.9 2.9 (2.2, 3.5) 
			 Limavady 62 3.0 2.9 (2.2, 3.7) 
			 Lisburn 234 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) 
			 Magherafelt 72 2.7 2.7 (2.1, 3.3) 
			 Moyle 38 2.8 2.8 (1.9, 3.7) 
			 Newry and Mourne 195 3.2 3.2 (2.8, 3.7) 
			 Newtownabbey 178 2.7 2.7 (2.3, 3.1) 
			 North Down 213 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) 
			 Omagh 83 2.5 2.5 (2.0, 3.1) 
			 Strabane 74 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.5) 
			 
			 Northern Ireland 3,729 2.8 2.7 (2.6, 2.8) 
			  Notes:  1. The Northern Ireland total includes 29 cases with missing or incomplete postcodes that are not assigned to a district council.  2. The age standardised rate is a rate used to permit comparisons between regions and over time. The rate adjusts for differences in regional and temporal population age structures by adopting the 2003 Northern Ireland population. It is reported as a rate per 1,000 persons.  3. Figures in brackets represent the 95 per cent. confidence interval which is the range of values within which there is a 95 per cent. probability of finding the true value for the incidence rate. 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Community Festival Fund

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was given to each festival in 2006-07 out of the Community Festival Fund.

Maria Eagle: Amounts awarded to each festival in 2006-07 out of the Community Festival Fund are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Tranche 1 
			  Festival  Awarded (£) 
			 Armagh Festival of Traditional and Folk Song 2006 12,000.00 
			 Fiddlers Green 2006 9,000.00 
			 Lady of the Lake Festival 8,000.00 
			 Greater Shankill Community Festival 7,000.00 
			 Glasgowbury Music Festival 2006 6,000.00 
			 Centennial Celebrations of Bangor District LOL No. 18 5,000.00 
			 Cairncastle 4 Day Ulster Scots Festival 5,000.00 
			 Coleraine Festival 5,000.00 
			 Moira Village Festival 2006 5,000.00 
			 Seeconnell Festival 2006 5,000.00 
			 Summer Madness 2006 (Street Reach) 5,000.00 
			 Tyrone Orangefest 2006 5,000.00 
			 Randalstown Arches Festival 4,290.00 
			 Sandy Row Community and Culture Festival 2006 4,000.00 
			 Big Lough Sunday 4,000.00 
			 Crumlin Summer Fest 2006 3,000.00 
			 Fern Festival 2006 3,000.00 
			 Boyne and Beyond 3,000.00 
			 Lurgan District Community Festival 2006 3,000.00 
			 Richill, Hamiltonsbawn and District July Festival 2006 3,000.00 
			 Carrickgergus Pageant 2006 2,460.00 
			 Carlingford Lough International Currach Championships 2,000.00 
			 Orangefest 2006 2,000.00 
			 O'Neill Summer School 2006 2,000.00 
			 Connections Community Festival 2,000.00 
			 Ballymacarrett Somme Festival 1,000.00 
			 Sub total 115,750.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Tranche 2 
			  Festival  Awarded (£) 
			 Feile an Phobail 2006 45,000.00 
			 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoil 2006 17,000.00 
			 Greater New Lodge Community Festival 13,000.00 
			 Country Comes to Town 10,000.00 
			 Golden Link Festival 2006 10,000.00 
			 13th William Kennedy Piping Festival 9,000.00 
			 Gasyard Wall Feile 2006 8,000.00 
			 Broadisland Gathering 2006 5,000.00 
			 Belfast Pride Festival 2006 3,000.00 
			 Hillsborough Oyster Festival 2006 3,000.00 
			 Rock the Valley 2006 3,000.00 
			 Kesh Festival 2006 2,200.00 
			 Rathlin Airs Annual Traditional Music Festival 2006 2,000.00 
			 Third Annual Halloween Puppet Festival 2006 2,000.00 
			 Motte Fest 2006 1,615.00 
			 Sub total 133,815.00 
		
	
	A third tranche, for festivals between 1 December 2006 to 31 March 2007, has still to be awarded. The closing date for receipt of applications is 18 August 2006.

Crime Reporting/Statistics

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many crimes were  (a) reported and  (b) successfully prosecuted in (i) the Ards, (ii) the Castlereagh and (iii) the Down district command units in each of the last four years.

Paul Goggins: The number of reported crimes for the last four financial years and areas in question is shown in Table 1. Table 2 contains the number of convictions for the last four calendar years for which figures are available. The conviction data are collated on the principal offence rule thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included. In addition, conviction data is offender-based and does not offer a direct comparison to the number of crimes recorded.
	
		
			  Table 1: Crimes recorded 
			   Ards DCU  Castlereagh DCU  Down DCU 
			 2002-03 4,969 4,221 5,245 
			 2003-04 4,310 3,561 4,568 
			 2004-05 3,718 2,917 3,758 
			 2005-06 3,577 3,227 4,280 
			  Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Convictions( 1) 
			   Ards DCU  Castlereagh DCU  Down DCU 
			 2001 761 583 723 
			 2002 791 582 739 
			 2003 806 678 879 
			 2004 917 793 988 
			 (1) Figures are based on the DCU in which the offender's address falls rather than the DCU in which the offence was reported.  Source: NIO Statistics and Research Branch.

Crown Court (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what percentage of Crown court sentences in Northern Ireland were successfully appealed by  (a) the Crown and  (b) the defendant in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The number and percentage of Crown court sentences successfully appealed in Northern Ireland, based on the year the appeal was lodged, is as follows:
	
		
			  Crown (by way of Attorney-General reference) 
			   Number of appeals lodged  Number of successful appeals  Percentage of successful appeals  Number outstanding 
			 2001 3 3 100 0 
			 2002 5 1 20 0 
			 2003 17 12 71 0 
			 2004 18 6 33 0 
			 2005 13 6 46 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Defendants 
			   Number of appeals lodged  Number of successful appeals  Percentage of successful appeals  Number outstanding  Percentage outstanding 
			 2001 53 17 32 0 0 
			 2002 47 13 28 2 4 
			 2003 49 17 35 1 2 
			 2004 64 8 13 5 8 
			 2005 34 5 15 9 26

Departmental Publications

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) circulation,  (b) cost and  (c) title is of each publication his Department has issued since 1 July 2005.

Peter Hain: Details of the publications issued by the Northern Ireland Office since 1 July 2005, including circulation, cost and title are given as follows:
	
		
			  Title  Circulation  Cost( 1)  (£) 
			 NIO Resource Accounts 2004-05 30 3,000 
			 NIO Resource Accounts 2005-06 30 (2)— 
			 Exploring Criminal Justice Publication 720 14,246 
			 CJSNI Report 2005-06 846 11,105 
			 Consultation Paper: The Powers of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission 150 669.21 
			 Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence 1,300 3,590.00 
			 Implementation Update Spring 2006 1,500 2,010.00 
			 Community Outreach Strategy 2006-09 3,000 1,975.00 
			 Belfast Pilot Project Evaluation Report—Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations 250 1,995.00 
			 Fermanagh and Tyrone Pilot Project Evaluation Report—Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations 250 1,950.00 
			 Evaluation of the Pilot Projects in Belfast and Fermanagh and Tyrone—Action Plan 250 1,340.00 
			 PPS Annual Business Plan 2006-07 750 2,060.00 
			 PPS Annual Report 2005-06 500 4,530.00 
			 Organised Crime Task Force Annual Report and Threat Assessment 2006 1,500 5965.00 
			 Organised Crime Task Force newspaper supplement 276,000 21,992.16 
			 (1) Figure includes design and layout in addition to printing costs. (2) Exact costs not yet known—final invoice not yet received.

Employment Statistics

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rate of  (a) economic activity and  (b) unemployment is in each (i) council district and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

Maria Eagle: The working age economic activity rate at April-June 2006 and claimant count unemployment rate at August 2006 for each i) district council and ii) parliamentary constituency are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  i) District councils  Economic activity rate( 1)  Claimant count unemployment rate 
			 Antrim 85.3 1.8 
			 Ards 74.7 2.3 
			 Armagh 78.1 1.9 
			 Ballymena 78.0 2.2 
			 Ballymoney 75.2 2.3 
			 Banbridge 75.6 1.4 
			 Belfast 71.1 4.3 
			 Carrickfergus 77.6 2.2 
			 Castlereagh 85.5 1.4 
			 Coleraine 79.0 2.6 
			 Cookstown 63.4 2.0 
			 Craigavon 70.8 2.3 
			 Derry 62.0 5.3 
			 Down 70.2 2.4 
			 Dungannon 69.9 1.8 
			 Fermanagh 60.1 2.7 
			 Larne 78.8 2.3 
			 Limavady 59.3 2.9 
			 Lisburn 77.1 2.3 
			 Magherafelt 71.6 1.6 
			 Moyle 67.7 3.3 
			 Newry and Mourne 74.3 2.5 
			 Newtownabbey 78.0 2.3 
			 North Down 72.7 1.9 
			 Omagh 72.1 2.4 
			 Strabane 66.6 5.3 
			 Northern Ireland 72.9 2.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  ii) Parliamentary constituencies  Economic activity rate( 1)  Claimant count unemployment rate 
			 Belfast East 84.6 2.2 
			 Belfast North 69.9 4.9 
			 Belfast South 76.6 2.5 
			 Belfast West 51.6 6.3 
			 East Antrim 79.7 2.8 
			 East Londonderry 71.9 2.7 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 64.5 2.4 
			 Foyle 62.0 5.3 
			 Lagan Valley 81.1 1.6 
			 Mid Ulster 67.6 1.8 
			 Newry and Armagh 74.6 2.4 
			 North Antrim 75.6 2.4 
			 North Down 71.0 2.0 
			 South Antrim 80.9 1.8 
			 South Down 73.1 2.1 
			 Strangford 79.4 1.9 
			 Upper Bann 69.5 2.1 
			 West Tyrone 69.7 3.7 
			 Northern Ireland 72.9 2.8 
			 ( 1) Source:  Labour Force Survey, April - June 2006.

Freedom of Information

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many freedom of information requests have been received by each of the Northern Ireland Departments in the two most recent years for which figures are available; and how many of these were made by members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

David Hanson: The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister publishes statistics on the performance of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments on a quarterly basis. Similarly, figures for the Northern Ireland Office are included in the Department for Constitutional Affairs quarterly update for Whitehall Departments. The total number of requests received by each Department in 2005 and between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2006 are set out in the following table. Figures for the second quarter of 2006, 1 April 2006 to 30 June 2006, should be available towards the end of August.
	There are no statistics held regarding the number of requests made by members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
	
		
			  Number of Requests Received( 1) 
			  Department  2005  1 January to 31 March, 2006 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 234 64 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure(2) 705 115 
			 Education 136 52 
			 Employment and Learning 93 29 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 75 33 
			 Finance and Personnel 416 93 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 144 34 
			 Environment 794 270 
			 Regional Development 343 114 
			 Social Development 150 41 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 89 26 
			 Northern Ireland Office 187 55 
			 (1) Figures include requests made under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.  (2) DCAL figures includes requests made to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Gaelic Athletic Association

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much government funding has been awarded to the Gaelic Athletic Association in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is responsible for the development of Sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of exchequer funding to individual sports. The SCNI has awarded exchequer funding to the GAA as follows:
	
		
			   GAA 
			 2001-02 46,978 
			 2002-03 557,042 
			 2003-04 207,596 
			 2004-05 208,211 
			 2005-06 136,807 
			 Total 1,156,634 
		
	
	In addition the Department of Finance and personnel (DFP), Department of Education (DE), Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI), Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and Department of Social Development (DSD) have provided funding to the Gaelic Athletic Association in each of the last five years. The following tables outline the funding that has been provided by each of these Departments:
	
		
			  DFP funding 
			   GAA  Sports including GAA activities 
			 2001-02 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
			 2003-04 55,000 48,434 
			 2004-05 27,173 0 
			 2005-06 11,250 0 
			 Total 93,423 48,434 
		
	
	
		
			  DE funding 
			   GAA 
			 2001-02 1,500 
			 2002-03 1,500 
			 2003-04 330,089 
			 2004-05 20,165 
			 2005-06 5,998 
			 Total 359,252 
		
	
	
		
			  DETI funding 
			   GAA 
			 2001-02 500 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 Total 500 
		
	
	
		
			  OFMDFM funding 
			   GAA 
			 2001-02 2,370 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 Total 2,370 
		
	
	
		
			  DHSSPS funding 
			   GAA 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 7,650 
			 2005-06 4,565 
			 Total 12,215

Housing

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has allocated to each constituency in each of the last five years; and what the estimates are for each of the next three years in each case.

David Hanson: The information is not available in the form requested. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive allocates funding on a district council area basis rather than by constituency. Estimates for future expenditure are available for one year only. The following table details expenditure from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and projected expenditure for 2006-07.
	
		
			  Allocation of NIHE expenditure over district council areas 
			  £ million 
			   Actual spend  Projected spend 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Antrim 3.90 4.39 3.97 3.51 4.32 4.55 
			 Ards 6.81 6.92 10.10 7.49 8.94 9.33 
			 Armagh 5.03 4.53 3.95 4.50 4.82 4.11 
			 Ballymena 5.40 5.97 7.07 5.83 7.30 8.11 
			 Ballymoney 3.90 3.72 4.16 2.90 1.89 2.09 
			 Banbridge 2.14 2.68 3.03 3.77 3.14 3.03 
			 Belfast 40.34 45.51 44.12 41.29 46.62 49.77 
			 Carrickfergus 4.80 4.15 5.64 6.78 6.40 6.12 
			 Castlereagh 6.30 6.56 5.46 6.56 6.11 8.31 
			 Coleraine 7.20 6.73 9.18 6.45 6.93 6.87 
			 Cookstown 2.94 3.62 3.06 2.95 3.41 2.60 
			 Craigavon 7.56 6.61 7.38 7.33 8.33 9.50 
			 Derry 11.86 14.87 14.27 14.58 13.96 13.29 
			 Down 5.28 6.54 6.02 6.65 5.41 4.41 
			 Dungannon 5.15 6.14 6.41 4.43 4.67 4.73 
			 Fermanagh 7.18 7.83 7.75 6.55 6.45 6.87 
			 Larne 3.45 2.57 3.37 3.46 2.27 2.35 
			 Limavady 2.98 3.47 4.03 4.06 3.54 2.75 
			 Lisburn 9.87 10.55 11.50 15.13 15.65 9.90 
			 Magherafelt 3.55 3.55 2.84 3.49 4.18 3.70 
			 Moyle 2.10 2.25 1.89 3.56 2.57 2.62 
			 Newry 7.27 8.98 8.18 7.70 8.60 7.50 
			 Newtownabbey 6.80 11.29 10.14 9.43 10.93 10.63 
			 North Down 4.10 5.94 5.55 7.03 7.59 7.05 
			 Omagh 3.36 5.07 4.80 5.45 6.11 6.24 
			 Strabane 4.06 5.23 7.16 6.05 5.91 5.65 
			 Total 173.33 195.67 201.03 196.93 206.05 202.08

Orange Halls

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Orange halls have been the subject of  (a) criminal damage and  (b) arson attacks in each of the last five years; and how many of those incidents have resulted in the conviction of those responsible.

Paul Goggins: Please note that these attacks are those which are deemed to be security related. PSNI has given figures for malicious fires and other types of attacks.
	
		
			   Malicious fires  Other attacks( 1) 
			 2001 7 7 
			 2002 1 3 
			 2003 3 16 
			 2004 3 3 
			 2005 8 22 
			 2006 (to 12 June) — 6 
			 (1) Type of attacks include: petrol/paint bombs thrown, stones/missiles thrown, sectarian graffiti, etc.   Notes:  1. 2006 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment. 2. PSNI cannot comment on the number of convictions.

Planning Applications

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long it took to process a planning application from the date it was received until a decision notice was issued in each of the last three years at  (a) Ballymena,  (b) Belfast,  (c) Coleraine,  (d) Craigavon,  (e) Downpatrick,  (f) Enniskillen,  (g) Derry and  (h) Omagh planning offices.

David Hanson: Over the last three to four years the Planning Service has been facing unprecedented work load pressures, particularly on the development control side, with the number of planning applications received in 2005-06 showing an increase of almost 30 per cent. in the number received three years ago.
	The following table shows the average time taken to process a planning application from the date of validation to the date of decision in each of the last three years at  (a) Ballymena,  (b) Belfast,  (c) Coleraine,  (d) Craigavon,  (e) Downpatrick,  (f) Enniskillen,  (g) Derry and  (h) Omagh Divisional Planning Offices.
	
		
			  Average number of weeks to process planning applications 
			   Number of weeks 
			  Divisional Planning Office  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Ballymena 22.1 29.6 34.5 
			 Belfast 18.4 20.2 21.3 
			 Coleraine 16.8 29.3 32.6 
			 Craigavon 21.8 32.5 39.6 
			 Downpatrick 22.9 25.2 33.3 
			 Enniskillen 16.1 20.5 28.4 
			 Londonderry 22.1 30.2 28.1 
			 Omagh 16.8 17.8 22.1 
			  Note:  Calculations are based on a measurement from data valid to date notified and exclude holidays and weekends.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the sickness levels were within the Police Service of Northern Ireland in  (a) the Ards,  (b) the Castlereagh and  (c) the Down District Command Units in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI average work days lost over the last three years for police officers and police staff in Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Command Units are as follows:
	
		
			  Average work days lost per police officer 
			  Financial year  Ards DCU  Down DCU  Castlereagh DCU 
			 2003-04 17.77 20.12 19.70 
			 2004-05 17.56 14.33 21.30 
			 2005-06 12.11 6.46 14.18 
		
	
	
		
			  Average work day lost per police staff member 
			  Financial year  Ards DCU  Down DCU  Castlereagh DCU 
			 2003-04 12.13 17.06 23.07 
			 2004-05 16.60 14.33 17.77 
			 2005-06 19.69 15.13 21.85

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many Police Service of Northern Ireland applicants progressed to the merit pool of suitably qualified candidates in each of the recruitment campaigns completed since the creation of the service, broken down by  (a) religion and  (b) sex; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the  (a) religion and  (b) sex was of applicants appointed as constables to the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a result of each competition that has been completed since the creation of the Service; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I am advised by the PSNI that the number of applicants who progressed to the merit pool of suitably qualified candidates in each of the recruitment campaigns completed since the creation of the service, broken down by  (a) religion and  (b) sex; and the  (a) religion and  (b) sex of applicants appointed as constables to the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a result of each respective competition is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Candidates in merit pool competitions 1 to 9 
			  Competition No.  Male  Female  Protestant  Catholic  Not determined  Total 
			 1 393 199 406 172 14 592 
			 2 322 122 334 108 2 444 
			 3 301 94 301 94 0 395 
			 4 514 308 599 214 9 822 
			 5 617 424 749 281 11 1,041 
			 6 555 312 649 211 7 867 
			 7 494 264 571 180 7 758 
			 8 679 436 798 306 11 1,115 
			 9 520 304 600 215 9 824 
		
	
	
		
			  Police trainee intakes competitions 1 to 9 
			  Competition No.  Male  Female  Protestant  Catholic  Not determined  Total 
			 1 199 106 149 153 3 305 
			 2 134 62 97 98 1 196 
			 3 129 37 83 83 0 166 
			 4 242 160 197 201 4 402 
			 5 182 117 148 149 2 299 
			 6 185 115 146 150 4 300 
			 7 168 102 134 134 2 270 
			 8 114 100 107 106 1 214 
			 9 122 45 81 75 1 157 
		
	
	The PSNI continues to attract large numbers of high calibre applicants from throughout the community. With the large number of applications to join the Police Service, the number of suitable candidates is far in excess of the finite number of trainee posts available. This means that candidates of both religious traditions and genders will sadly experience the disappointment of an unsuccessful application.
	The latest campaign saw the highest number of applications yet, with 7,691 applicants competing for 220 places. 37 per cent. of these applications were from the Catholic community, which is the highest rate to date, and the number of female and ethnic minority applications has increased.
	In terms of religion, the Government believe that the temporary recruitment provisions are necessary and reasonable to correct an historic imbalance in the composition of the PSNI. These exceptional measures are reviewed every three years, with the next, and hopefully final, such review due later this year. This will be subject to detailed review of the policy, extensive consultation, and debate in both Houses.
	Catholic composition in the PSNI regulars has increased from 8.3 per cent. to 20.05 per cent. Our goal is to increase Catholic representation to 30 per cent. by 2010-11, the date envisaged by Patten. I am pleased to say that we are on track to meet this, which would not be possible if the 50:50 provisions were not in place.
	Although our efforts have focused on the imbalance between the number of Catholics and Protestants in the composition of the Police Service, we also recognise the importance of gender and ethnic minority representation. It is notable that female composition has risen from 13 per cent. to 20.54 per cent. and the ethnic minority background composition compares favourably with the overall level of the working age ethnic minority population in Northern Ireland.

Rates

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 885-6W, on rates, how many domestic properties in Northern Ireland have been identified as having each of the 12 different site positive codes.

David Hanson: The number of domestic properties in Northern Ireland having each of the 12 different site positive codes is as follows:
	
		
			  Counts of site positive features recorded 
			  Site positive feature  Frequency  Percentage 
			 Sea Frontage 635 4.1 
			 Sea View 4,098 26.5 
			 Sea View Limited 2,415 15.6 
			 Water Frontage 220 1.4 
			 Water View 1,114 7.2 
			 Water View Limited 1,108 7.2 
			 Other Premium View Full 620 4.0 
			 Other Premium View Limited 317 2.0 
			 Adjoining Parkland 511 3.3 
			 Adjoining Golf Course 605 3.9 
			 Conservation Area 3,147 20.3 
			 Other positive 684 4.4 
			 Total 15,474 100.0 
			  Note:  Analysis only includes properties valued by CAMA

Special Needs Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been allocated to special needs education in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows how much funding has been reported by the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) in their accrued expenditure reports to the Department of Education as having been allocated to special needs education in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. The information requested is not available by constituency in Northern Ireland. The response provided is therefore by Education and Library Board area and is rounded to the nearest million.
	
		
			  Million 
			   BELB  NEELB  SEELB  SELB  WELB  Total 
			 2000-01 17 14 21 15 13 80 
			 2001-02 19 16 23 17 16 91 
			 2002-03 21 18 27 19 18 103 
			 2003-04 26 21 32 22 23 124 
			 2004-05 28 22 31 25 27 133 
		
	
	Over the same five year period additional funding of approximately 14m has been allocated by the Department of Education to support statemented pupils in the voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated sectors.

Tribunals (Irish Language)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests for  (a) disability living allowance tribunals and  (b) incapacity benefit tribunals to be heard in the Irish language there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: As the Appeals Service (NI) was only established in April 2000 it is not possible to provide the requested information for years prior to 2000-01. The information has therefore been provided for each full year from April 2000 to March 2006.
	
		
			  Appeals received and requests for tribunals to be heard in Irish language by benefit type—1 April 2000 to 31 March 2006 
			   Disability appeals  Incapacity benefit 
			   Appeals received  Requests to be heard in Irish language  Appeals received  Requests to be heard in Irish language 
			 2001 10,517 0 6,808 0 
			 2002 11,760 0 4,879 0 
			 2003 8,823 0 4,614 0 
			 2004 9,120 0 3,905 0 
			 2005 6,584 0 4,164 0 
			 2006 5,553 0 4,678 0 
			 Total 52,357 0 29,048 0 
			  Note:  Prior to April 2004 each component (care and mobility) of disability living allowance was counted as a separate appeal. This practice changed from 1 April 2004, when a disability living allowance appeal was counted as one appeal regardless of the number of components involved. The decrease in disability appeals received from April 2004 reflects this change.

Water Service

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget allocations to the Water Service were in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Member in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan, dated 11 September 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what the budget allocations to the Water Service were in each of the last five years (90710). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	Over the last five years, Water Service has received a total budget allocation of £3.12 billion. The annual allocations making up this amount are tabled below. The figures represent the recorded full year budget allocation and include all amounts such as AME (cost of capital and depreciation) and capital allocations. The figure for 2006/07 reflects the allocation position at June.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Budget year  Amount 
			 2002-03 616 
			 2003-04 509 
			 2004-05 631 
			 2005-06 703 
			 2006-07 662

Business Rates

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was collected by her Department in business rates within the City of Westminster in each of the last five financial years; and what level of grant was awarded by her Department to Westminster city council for the provision of vital local government services in each year.

Phil Woolas: The City of Westminster's contribution to the national non-domestic rate pool between 2001-02 and 2005-06 is shown in the following table. Also shown is the level of Formula Grant given to the City of Westminster in the same period.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Contribution to national non-domestic rate pool  Formula Grant 
			 2001-02 795 199 
			 2002-03 838 205 
			 2003-04 860 216 
			 2004-05 885 224 
			 2005-06 936 238 
		
	
	The contribution to national non-domestic rate pool data are taken from returns made by local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government on NNDR3 returns.
	Formula Grant comprises Revenue Support Grant, National Non Domestic Rates (NNDR) and principal Police Grant (not applicable here). The Formula Grant data for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are after the amending report.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the total carbon emission from her Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 and no assessment of its carbon emissions has yet been undertaken.
	Data on carbon emissions is published in the annual Sustainable Development in Government Reports and the last report was published by the Sustainable Development Commission in December 2005. It covered the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005 and the published figures for DCLG's predecessor departments are as follows.
	
		
			Carbon dioxide (tonnes)( 1) 
			 2004-05 ODPM 11,658 
			 2003-04 ODPM 13,023 
			 2002-03 ODPM 13,071 
			 2001-02 DTLR 33,635 
			 2000-01 DTLR 36,763 
			 1999-2000 DETR 38,684 
			 1998-99 DETR 39,016 
			 1997-98 DETR 39,371 
			 (1 )No notional carbon figures have been included for energy generated from renewable sources 
		
	
	These emissions were calculated from the energy consumed across the estate; this included ODPM, DTLR and ODPM properties, Executive Agencies and the Government Office network.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government has commenced a carbon management programme with The Carbon Trust. The aim of the programme is to mobilise the Department and its Agencies in working towards reducing carbon emissions across the estate.

English Partnerships

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what representations have been made to her concerning the balance of expenditure between the north and south of England by English Partnerships since 2001-02; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of English Partnerships' annual programme expenditure was spent in  (a) the North East,  (b) the North West,  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside,  (d) the East Midlands,  (e) the West Midlands,  (f) the East of England,  (g) London,  (h) the South East and (i) the South West in each year since 2001-02.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 September 2006
	No representations have been received by the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government concerning the balance of English Partnerships' (EP) expenditure since 2001-02 between the north and the south of England.
	EP's gross programme expenditure since 2001-02 by Government Office region is set out in the following table.
	
		
			Spend as a percentage of total programme (all spend figures in £million) 
			  Years ended 31 March   2001-2  Percentage  2002-3  Percentage  2003-4  Percentage 
			 Total East Midlands 11 7 31 13 31 8 
			  East Of England 3 2 4 2 11 3 
			  London 18 11 25 11 95 23 
			  North East 19 11 21 9 29 7 
			  North West 38 23 56 24 79 19 
			  South East 17 10 36 16 74 18 
			  South West 9 5 14 6 38 9 
			  West Midlands 12 7 10 4 16 4 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 25 15 21 9 23 6 
			  Other National 15 9 13 6 13 3 
			 EP Total  167 100 231 100 409 100 
			 
			  North includes Midlands 105 63 139 60 178 44 
			  South 47 28 79 34 218 53 
			  Other National 15 9 13 6 13 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Years ended 31 March   2004-5  Percentage  2005-6  Percentage 
			 Total East Midlands 41 8 49 6 
			  East Of England 15 3 137 16 
			  London 146 30 22 3 
			  North East 27 6 26 3 
			  North West 67 14 98 12 
			  South East 85 17 121 14 
			  South West 24 5 38 5 
			  West Midlands 22 5 27 3 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 34 7 16 2 
			  Other National 26 5 302 36 
			 EP Total  487 100 836 100 
			  North includes Midlands 191 39 216 26 
			  South 270 55 318 38 
			  Other National 26 5 302 36 
			  Note: 1. For the purposes of this answer the south of England includes South East, South West, East of England and London, with other regions taken to mean the north of England.  2. The "national" includes EP's purchase of a national portfolio of NHS sites in early 2006 which amounted to 302m and other expenditure that EP accounts for on a national basis. 
		
	
	The figures demonstrate increased Government investment through EP's programme across England in urban regeneration and the communities plan including the supply of high-quality affordable housing in areas experiencing housing pressure. EP investment has grown significantly nationwide over the period quoted. (More information can be found about EP's programmes in its annual reports over recent years, copies of which are held in the Libraries of both Houses or can be found on its website at http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/home.htm).
	It is worth noting that the impact of a single transaction can be seen from the spend figure of £137 million for 2005-06 in the East of England. This included the single, extraordinary acquisition of a Ministry of Defence site at Oakington near Cambridge for the development of a new community at Northstowe for over £100 million. Excluding that one transaction from the table would have changed EP's 2005-06 investment figures to £218 million for the south and £216 million for the north.

Fire Service

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) fires,  (b) hoax 999 fire service calls and  (c) false fire alarms other than hoaxes have been recorded in educational establishments in each of the last 10 years in each fire authority area.

Angela Smith: The available information covering part  (a) of the question is set out below. Information on parts  (b) and  (c) is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Fires in schools attended by fire and rescue services in England 1995-2004 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  England 1,401 1,532 1,314 1,158 1,331 1,194 1,453 1,248 1,231 1,228 
			
			  Non Metropolitan Areas   
			 Avon 28 28 24 37 24 23 18 28 37 19 
			 Bedfordshire 12 4 9 16 18 20 14 33 14 11 
			 Berkshire 15 25 31 18 20 10 46 29 14 14 
			 Buckinghamshire 8 31 16 13 17 17 10 10 5 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 12 17 7 24 4 6 12 24 17 
			 Cheshire 45 18 25 21 18 29 20 33 25 16 
			 Cleveland 24 28 55 25 17 37 28 45 15 6 
			 Cornwall 3 10 1 1 5 0 5 5 6 14 
			 Cumbria 14 17 10 2 18 6 13 13 14 14 
			 Derbyshire 24 37 23 30 20 11 23 17 22 16 
			 Devon 22 11 33 10 33 22 31 19 21 7 
			 Dorset 8 9 15 2 17 22 17 2 4 7 
			 Durham 27 8 25 32 19 20 14 18 12 12 
			 East Sussex 15 6 8 8 22 24 20 11 20 36 
			 Essex 18 26 12 21 15 21 25 19 27 17 
			 Gloucestershire 5 20 22 0 5 12 5 15 9 1 
			 Hampshire 40 28 6 19 33 35 55 19 47 40 
			 Hereford and Worcester 14 15 9 12 5 27 14 13 5 9 
			 Hertfordshire 33 40 8 32 34 28 13 22 17 24 
			 Humberside 52 45 16 37 36 9 36 40 43 40 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 1 4 4 4 4 0 0 5 0 4 
			 Kent 32 62 49 22 28 15 27 34 23 34 
			 Lancashire 55 56 60 53 29 59 63 42 45 59 
			 Leicestershire 43 30 19 18 17 17 25 20 19 16 
			 Lincolnshire 2 9 13 0 10 11 12 6 8 13 
			 Norfolk 9 10 4 6 7 16 14 9 10 6 
			 North Yorkshire 11 15 13 5 9 39 5 20 16 23 
			 Northamptonshire 9 24 13 16 22 6 17 5 11 22 
			 Northumberland 9 7 5 4 4 4 5 0 13 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 28 36 31 57 15 34 15 33 24 35 
			 Oxfordshire 9 5 11 6 20 6 17 29 27 17 
			 Shropshire 10 6 19 10 5 11 13 0 17 30 
			 Somerset 13 6 6 11 9 4 21 17 11 25 
			 Staffordshire 26 25 9 33 42 20 40 30 26 14 
			 Suffolk 8 5 6 4 1 5 23 5 0 14 
			 Surrey 10 20 17 9 17 14 24 11 29 7 
			 Warwickshire 14 4 10 6 6 12 16 14 31 20 
			 West Sussex 10 28 2 18 39 20 20 27 10 32 
			 Wiltshire 11 0 6 6 14 7 10 1 6 0 
			  Metropolitan areas   
			 Greater Manchester 158 184 178 124 156 98 160 134 132 128 
			 London 134 202 102 117 189 133 152 73 115 129 
			 Merseyside 73 78 148 68 73 71 55 57 54 63 
			 South Yorkshire 55 21 37 40 26 25 64 48 35 32 
			 Tyne and Wear 74 70 43 40 37 46 58 48 37 42 
			 West Midlands 106 141 81 78 96 94 86 79 74 53 
			 West Yorkshire 78 64 62 57 59 47 100 95 80 67 
			  Notes: 1.Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue sendee totals. 2. Figures exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods. Source:   Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the number of  (a) home information packs and  (b) home inspectors which will be required in the first (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) 12 months of the operation of the scheme.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates of the number of "Home Information Packs" required by sellers are based on industry estimates of future home buying and selling. These are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Home information packs required by home sellers 
			   Number 
			 Between June 2007 and August 2007 366,100 
			 Between June 2007 and November 2007 779,100 
			 Between June 2007 and May 2008 1,627,100 
		
	
	The number of trained home inspectors across England and Wales who will be required to produce energy performance certificates and the optional home condition reports for sellers will vary with seasonal demand and the local housing market. It is estimated that between 2,500 and 4,500 individuals working full or part-time would be required to satisfy demand for these.
	More detailed estimates will become available as the percentage take up of home condition reports is determined during the progress of the area based trials.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest  (a) actual and  (b) estimated outputs are for (i) demolitions, (ii) refurbishments and (iii) new builds in each of the housing market renewal pathfinder areas in (A) 2004-05, (B) 2005-06, (C) 2006-07 and (D) 2007-08.

Yvette Cooper: The following table provides information on the number of demolitions, refurbishments and new builds funded in full or in part by Housing Market Renewal Funding (HMRF) as part of the local programmes led by councils and partners to address housing problems in their areas. The figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are actual. Estimated figures for 2006-07 are included for those pathfinders whose forward funding agreements have been, or are shortly about to be, signed. Plans for 2007-08 have not yet been agreed.
	
		
			   New Build  Repairs, improvements and refurbishments  Demolitions 
			   2004-05  2005-06 ( 1) 2006-07  2004-05  2005-06 ( 1) 2006-07  2004-05  2005-06 ( 1) 2006-07 
			 Birmingham Sandwell 47 62 tbc 10 6115 tbc 71 306 tbc 
			 East Lancashire 0 0 0 674 830 346 311 331 362 
			 Hull and East Riding 0 0 tbc 0 0 tbc 0 147 tbc 
			 Manchester Salford 0 0 tbc 4,304 2,418 tbc 571 454 tbc 
			 Merseyside 6 11 566 2,628 5,383 1,420 118 185 263 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 2 0 28 232 433 704 409 506 72 
			 North Staffordshire 0 0 0 139 1,408 450 234 62 200 
			 Oldham Rochdale 0 0 106 832 1,059 190 78 164 182 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 167 760 1,140 1,724 1,097 635 500 
			 (1) Estimate Notes:1. Discussions have not yet concluded with Birmingham Sandwell, Manchester Salford and Hull and East Riding on their programmes for 2006-07.2. The outputs in the table are only those that are funded directly by HMRP. The pathfinders have played a part in generating significant additional outputs through the contributions of partners, principally local authorities, RSLs and the private sector, in related and complementary interventions in housing market renewal areas.3. The variation in outputs between pathfinders is partly explained by the different sizes of the programmes and how long they have been running. There is also a wide variety in approaches taken depending on the particular problems face in each area.

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Cumbria,  (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale,  (d) urban areas and  (e) rural areas were occupied as second homes in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The table gives the information requested. The number of properties is not available for parliamentary constituencies: Figures for South Lakeland constituency are presented as this is the local authority which is the closest to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. Second homes data are not available prior to 2002 on a robust consistent basis.
	
		
			  Percentage of Second Homes 2002 to 2005 
			   England and Wales  Cumbria  South Lakeland  Urban England  Rural England percentage 
			 2002 0.8 2.7 7.0 0.5 1.3 
			 2003 1.0 3.4 77 0.7 1.4 
			 2004 1.1 3.4 7.4 0.8 1.5 
			 2005 1.1 3.4 7.4 0.8 1.5 
			  Source:  CTB1 returns to DCLG. 
		
	
	Local authorities in England have been classified as rural or urban according to definitions given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For further information on the DEFRA classification please see: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of new housing completed in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Cumbria,  (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale,  (d) urban areas and  (e) rural areas was affordable housing in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the proportion of newly built homes defined as affordable. The Department does not collect information on affordable housing in Wales therefore the table refers to England only. New build completions data is only available at local authority level therefore specific information relating to Westmoreland and Lonsdale constituency is not available. As South Lakeland LA is the local authority that comprises the majority of Westmoreland and Lonsdale it has been included in the table.
	For parts  (d) and  (e) local authority information has been aggregated by the DEFRA Rural Definition and Local Authority Classification, details of which can be found on the DEFRA website: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp
	
		
			  Percentage of newly built dwellings defined as affordable 
			  Percentage 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 England 19 19 16 17 17 16 17 17 18 
			 Cumbria 11 17 16 16 11 8 5 10 (2)— 
			 South Lakeland 5 8 12 20 16 5 21 18 (2)— 
			 Urban local authorities 22 23 19 20 21 16 19 18 (2)— 
			 Rural local authorities 15 14 12 13 13 15 14 15 (2)— 
			 (1) Provisional.  (2) Not available.   Note.  Information on new build affordable dwellings is provided by the Housing Corporation; a small proportion of these will be hostel bed spaces.  Source:  Returns from local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (P2, HSSA), Housing Corporation, National Housebuilding Council (NHBC). 
		
	
	Section 106 data has only been collected from 2000-01.
	This information does not include new affordable homes provided through acquisition and refurbishment for both social rent and low cost home ownership.

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of houses sold was in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Cumbria,  (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale,  (d) urban areas and  (e) rural areas in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The following table gives the information requested. Estimates of average house prices at local authority level, regions and counties and for England and Wales as a whole are based on Land Registry data. Estimates of average house prices are not available for parliamentary constituencies: South Lakeland is the local authority which is the closest to Westmorland and Lonsdale.
	
		
			  House prices 1997 to 2005 
			  £ 
			   England and Wales  Cumbria  South Lakeland  Urban England  Rural England 
			 1997 79,482 60,103 78,936 80,474 80,809 
			 1998 86,500 63,653 83,156 87,637 87,964 
			 1999 96,902 66,388 88,425 99,092 97,287 
			 2000 108,527 71,891 99,239 111,255 109,539 
			 2001 119,436 78,158 116,273 121,697 121,891 
			 2002 138,370 88,275 130,005 139,588 143,562 
			 2003 156,505 107,312 161,697 155,114 166,389 
			 2004 178,899 130,897 195,701 176,423 189,559 
			 2005 189,983 146,327 211,834 187,999 199,389 
			  Source:  Land Registry 
		
	
	Local authorities in England have been classified as rural or urban according to definitions given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For further information on the DEFRA classification please see: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp
	Further information on house prices in local authority areas for the period 1996 to 2005 is available in Table 585 on the DCLG website. The web link for Table 585 is: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/159/Tab1e585_id1156159.xls

Housing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties owned by registered social landlords have been sold to their tenants in  (a) Greater London and  (b) England in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer13 September 2006
	Information on properties owned by registered social landlords that have been sold to their tenants is collected on the Regulatory Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation. In 1996-97 RSLs were not asked to break down this information by local authority area. Sales to tenants include Right to Acquire and Preserved Right to Buy, the latter being the preserved right of a local authority tenant to purchase their dwelling even after a stock transfer from the local authority to an RESL.
	Summary information for London as a whole and England is given in the following table. The figures broken down by local authority area have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			   Greater London  England 
			 1996-97 — 4,821 
			 1997-98 294 4,976 
			 1998-99 429 4,779 
			 1999-2000 680 7,585 
			 2000-01 1,078 7,336 
			 2001-02 788 8,536 
			 2002-03 976 10,869 
			 2003-04 1,246 15,095 
			 2004-05 858 9,365 
			 2005-06 361 6,987 
			  Notes:  1. From 2001-02 onwards, data for Greater London and individual local authority areas exclude outright sales.  2. From 2004-05 onwards, data for Greater London and individual local authority areas exclude outright sales and voluntary purchase grant.  3. In 1998-99 and 2001-02 a small number of RSLs made errors in filling in the form and the data for some individual local authority areas may be slightly incorrect.  4. Data excludes Abbeyfields and Almshouses.  5. Only RSLs who completed a Long Return were required to provide this data in 2005-06.   Source:  Regulatory Statistical Return, Housing Corporation.

Local Authority Finance

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 30 English local authorities had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest council tax collection rates, (i) as a percentage of council tax due and (ii) in cash terms in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The 30 English local authorities with the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest council tax collection rates as a percentage of council tax due in 2005-06 are shown in the following table. A statistical release providing further details about council tax collection rates for 2005-06 was issued on 21 June and is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/cp056.htm.
	Collection of council taxes continues once the financial year to which they relate has ended. This means that the final collection rate achieved is somewhere between the figures shown here and 100 per cent.
	The figures shown in the table are the amount received in respect of the 2005-06 financial year's council taxes collected in that year as a percentage of the net collectable debit in respect of that year's council taxes—i.e. the income authorities would collect if everyone liable paid, net of estimated receipts of council tax benefit.
	
		
			  Receipts of 2005-06 council taxes by 31 March 2006 as a percentage of net collectable debit 
			   Percentage 
			 North Hertfordshire 99.5 
			 North Kesteven 99.4 
			 Surrey Heath 99.3 
			 East Dorset 99.3 
			 Tewkesbury 99.3 
			 Amber Valley 99.2 
			 Mole Valley 99.2 
			 Eden 99.2 
			 Broadland 99.2 
			 Elmbridge 99.1 
			 Wokingham 99.1 
			 Chiltern 99.1 
			 Wear Valley 99.1 
			 Vale of White Horse 99.1 
			 South Shropshire 99.1 
			 Rother 99.0 
			 South Hams 99.0 
			 Canterbury 99.0 
			 Lichfield 99.0 
			 Melton 99.0 
			 Epsom and Ewell 99.0 
			 Purbeck 98.9 
			 Guildford 98.9 
			 Fareham 98.9 
			 Ashford 98.9 
			 Isles of Scilly 98.9 
			 North Shropshire 98.9 
			 Kennet 98.9 
			 Craven 98.9 
			 South Derbyshire 98.8 
			 Redbridge 94.6 
			 Harlow 94.5 
			 Tower Hamlets 94.5 
			 Blyth Valley 94.4 
			 Slough 94.3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 94.3 
			 Medway Towns 94.3 
			 Liverpool 94.3 
			 Birmingham 94.0 
			 Lewisham 94.0 
			 Croydon 93.9 
			 Leicester 93.8 
			 Wakefield 93.8 
			 Haringey 93.4 
			 Luton 93.2 
			 Islington 93.2 
			 Greenwich 93.2 
			 Nottingham City 93.2 
			 Lambeth 93.1 
			 Waltham Forest 93.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 93.0 
			 Southwark 93.0 
			 Middlesbrough 92.8 
			 Brent 92.7 
			 Portsmouth 92.6 
			 Southampton 92.6 
			 Newham 90.5 
			 Manchester 89.1 
			 Hackney 87.5 
			 Salford 87.1

Thames Gateway

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of residential accommodation were constructed in the Thames Gateway in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Before 2001-02 information on new build dwellings was available by local authority only. Figures more specific to the Gateway boundary are available for the years 2001-02 to 2004-05. Figures for the period 2005-06 will be available shortly. The Thames Gateway boundary differs from local authority boundaries as it was established to specifically include those areas that contain a high proportion of brownfield land rather than follow the administrative boundary line of the local authorities concerned. The local authority boundaries include for example house building in the rest of Kent and the rest of Essex even where those areas are not part of the Thames Gateway.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996-97 (1)6,665 
			 1997-98 (1)7,019 
			 1998-99 (1)7,071 
			 1999-2000 (1)7,893 
			 2000-01 (1)7,440 
			 2001-02 (2)3,570 
			 2002-03 (2)6,382 
			 2003-04 (2)6,999 
			 2004-05 (2)7,012 
			 (1 )Local authority only(2 )More specific to the Gateway boundarySource for the local authority only figures: P2 house building return from local authorities and National House Building Council

Iraq/Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the Government have allocated to the development of women's role in Iraqi society in each year since 2003, broken down by project.

Kim Howells: The UK is committed to the inclusion of women in all phases and at all levels in the reconstruction of Iraq and to ensure that they can participate in the political, civic and economic process of reconstruction. The following table shows the funding the Government have allocated to the development of women's role in Iraqi society in each financial year since 2003-04.
	In addition, Iraqi women have taken part in projects to develop specific professions, including training for lawyers, judges, government officials and forensic scientists. We aim to ensure that women are represented in all projects even if developing their role is not the principal objective. For example, the prison mentors employed to work with the Iraqi Correctional Service in south Iraq promote increases in the number of female Iraqi staff.
	
		
			  Financial year/Government Department  Projects  Cost (£) 
			  2003-04   
			 Department for International Department (DfID) Contribution to UNIFEM's work to mainstream gender equality policies in Iraq 500,000 
			 DfID Provision of two gender expert secondees to the Coalition Provisional Authority 80,000 
			
			  2004-05   
			 DfID Funding two women's organisations projects under CSF 712,000 
			 DfID Funding eight women's political participation projects under PPF 251,000 
			
			  2005-06   
			 DfID Funding six Constitutional advocacy projects under PPF 107,000 
			 DfID Funding five October 2005 referendum projects under PPF 175,000 
			 DfID Funding seven December 2006 election projects under PPF 212,000 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Provision of training curricula on women's rights to the Ministry of Human Rights (1)— 
			 FCO Seed-funding nine women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under HRSGF 21,305 
			 FCO Visit to UK by seven prominent Iraqi women to examine the role of women in forming government policy 10,625 
			 Total  2,068,930 
			 (1) Unable to provide exact cost because the women's curriculum was one of three provided to the Ministry of Human Rights. This was part of a £609,000 human rights training assistance package that also included a training needs assessment of the Ministry of Human Rights and other government departments and provision of equipment to establish the framework of the Human Rights Training Institute within the Ministry of Human Rights.  Notes:  1. CSF—DFID's £5 million Civil Society Fund. This has been supporting the development of Iraqi civil society organisations eg women's organisations, trade unions, human rights groups, so that they are able to better represent ordinary Iraqis and hold the Government and local authorities to account.  2. PPF—DFID's £7.5 million Political Participation Fund. This provides grants for grass-roots initiatives to encourage poor and marginalized people to make their voices heard. The PPF has funded projects to encourage wide engagement in the elections, constitution-drafting, and referendum, including projects targeting women, students, Marsh Arabs, and prisoners. 3. HRSGF-FCO's Human Rights Small Grants Fund. This provided seed-funding to 28 small Iraqi NGOs in order to build local civil society capacity.

Romania

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK visitor visas were issued to people from Romania in each month since 2001.

Kim Howells: The number of visit visas issued to Romanian Nationals in each month since 2001 are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Visit visas issued (excludes family visits) 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April 1,572 1,593 1,440 1,424 1,982 1,992 
			 May 1,937 1,517 1,944 1,724 2,097 2,799 
			 June 2,444 2,110 2,403 2,595 3,653 3,964 
			 July 3,077 2,457 3,064 2,661 2,142 3,114 
			 August 1,783 1,237 1,729 2,077 1,700 2,302 
			 September 1,256 1,229 1,908 1,689 2,056 1,907 
			 October 1,564 1,708 1,915 1,755 1,989 — 
			 November 1,522 1,542 2,072 2,051 2,294 — 
			 December 937 1,187 1,178 1,279 1,381 — 
			 January 1,034 1,190 1,193 1,355 1,574 — 
			 February 1,265 1,172 1,320 1,522 1,671 — 
			 March 1,202 1,554 1,804 1,845 2,393 — 
			 Total 19,593 18,496 21,970 21,977 24,932 16,078 
		
	
	
		
			  Family visit visas issued 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April 0 3 19 15 96 197 
			 May 0 50 31 16 95 274 
			 June 0 132 28 17 247 323 
			 July 0 125 58 18 300 376 
			 August 0 77 44 9 247 288 
			 September 0 24 27 11 179 183 
			 October 0 41 18 50 220 — 
			 November 0 101 28 108 414 — 
			 December 0 45 25 77 342 — 
			 January 1 27 19 49 143 — 
			 February 1 36 36 49 205 — 
			 March 4 30 64 123 283 — 
			 Total 6 691 397 542 2,771 1,641 
			  Source:  Central Referencing System UKvisas makes every effort to ensure that statistics produced from Central Referencing System are accurate. However, the complexity of our global business, including technical failures or occasional inconsistencies in data entry across over 150 offices means that we cannot 100% guarantee accuracy.

Thailand

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British tourists have been murdered in Thailand in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: The information requested is provided in the table as follows:
	
		
			   British nationals murdered in Thailand 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 3 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 4 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 (1)3 
			 (1) as of 3 October 2006. 
		
	
	These figures are inclusive of British nationals both resident and on holiday in Thailand. It is not possible to distinguish between tourists and residents as many British nationals, who consider themselves residents in Thailand, remain in the country on tourist visas.

Antisocial Behaviour

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many antisocial behaviour orders for under 16-year-olds have been  (a) applied for by registered social landlords and  (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area;
	(2)  how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) applied for by registered social landlords and  (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table B: Number of ASBOs applied for by registered social landlords in magistrates and county courts in England and Wales, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by local authority area from 1 April 1999( 1)  to 30 September 2005 (latest available) 
			   Total ASBOs  Period 
			   1 April 1999 to 30 September 2005  1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000  1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Birmingham CC 4 — — — — — 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 2 — — — — — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC 10 — — — — — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC 1 — — — — — 
			 Broxtowe BC 1 — — — — — 
			 Burnley BC 8 — — — — — 
			 Calderdale MBC 1 — — — — — 
			 Cardiff CC 1 — — — — — 
			 Chester DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Croydon LB 2 — — — — — 
			 Denbighshire CC 1 — — — — — 
			 Enfield LB 3 — — — — — 
			 Epping Forest DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC 3 — — — — — 
			 Fylde BC 1 — — — — — 
			 Gloucester CC 3 — — — — — 
			 Haringey LB 1 — — — — — 
			 Havering LB 5 — — — — — 
			 Isle of Wight Council 4 — — — — — 
			 Islington LB 2 — — — — — 
			 Kennet DC 2 — — — — — 
			 Knowsley MBC 2 — — — — — 
			 Liverpool CC 2 — — — — — 
			 Manchester CC 17 — — — — — 
			 Mansfield DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Mid Sussex DC 2 — — — — — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 9 — — — — — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 3 — — — — — 
			 Oldham MBC 1 — — — — — 
			 Penwith DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council 1 — — — — — 
			 Rochdale MBC 2 — — — — — 
			 Rother DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Salisbury DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Sandwell MBC 1 — — — — — 
			 Southwark LB 1 — — — — — 
			 St. Helens MBC 3 — — — — — 
			 Stoke on Trent 2 — — — — — 
			 Trafford MBC 11 — — — — — 
			 Vale Royal BC 2 — — — — — 
			 Walsall BC 3 — — — — — 
			 Waltham Forest LB 3 — — — — — 
			 Warwick DC 2 — — — — — 
			 Wirrall MBC 2 — — — — — 
			 Woking BC 3 — — — — — 
			 Wolverhampton CC 1 — — — — — 
			 Worcester CC 3 — — — — — 
			 Total 137 — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   Period 
			   1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001  1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002  1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC — — — — — — 
			 Birmingham CC — — — — — — 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC — — — — — — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC — — — — 1 — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC — — — — — — 
			 Broxtowe BC — — — — — — 
			 Burnley BC — — — — 1 — 
			 Calderdale MBC — — — — — — 
			 Cardiff CC — — — — — — 
			 Chester DC — — — — — — 
			 Croydon LB — — — — 2 — 
			 Denbighshire CC — — — — — — 
			 Enfield LB — — — — — — 
			 Epping Forest DC — — — — — — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC — — — — — — 
			 Fylde BC — — — — — — 
			 Gloucester CC — — — — — — 
			 Haringey LB — — — — — — 
			 Havering LB — — — — — — 
			 Isle of Wight Council — — — — 3 — 
			 Islington LB — — — — — — 
			 Kennet DC — — — — — — 
			 Knowsley MBC — — — — — — 
			 Liverpool CC — — — — — — 
			 Manchester CC — — — — 7 — 
			 Mansfield DC — — — — — — 
			 Mid Sussex DC — — — — — — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council — — — — — — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC — — — — — — 
			 Oldham MBC — — — — — — 
			 Penwith DC — — — — — — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council — — — — — — 
			 Rochdale MBC — — — — — — 
			 Rother DC — — — — — — 
			 Salisbury DC — — — — 1 — 
			 Sandwell MBC — — — — 1 — 
			 Southwark LB — — — — — — 
			 St. Helens MBC — — — — — — 
			 Stoke on Trent — — — — — — 
			 Trafford MBC — — — — 6 — 
			 Vale Royal BC — — — — 1 — 
			 Walsall BC — — — — — — 
			 Waltham Forest LB — — — — — — 
			 Warwick DC — — — — — — 
			 Wirrall MBC — — — — 1 — 
			 Woking BC — — — — — — 
			 Wolverhampton CC — — — — — — 
			 Worcester CC — — — — — — 
			 Total — — — — 24 — 
		
	
	
		
			   Period 
			   1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004  1 January 2005 to 30 September 2005 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC — — 1 — 
			 Birmingham CC — — 4 — 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 1 — 1 — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC 3 — 6 — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC 1 — — — 
			 Broxtowe BC — — 1 — 
			 Burnley BC 4 — 3 — 
			 Calderdale MBC 1 — — — 
			 Cardiff CC 1 — — — 
			 Chester DC 1 — — — 
			 Croydon LB — — — — 
			 Denbighshire CC — — 1 — 
			 Enfield LB — — 3 — 
			 Epping Forest DC 1 — — — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC 3 — — — 
			 Fylde BC 1 — — — 
			 Gloucester CC 3 — — — 
			 Haringey LB — — 1 — 
			 Havering LB 2 — 3 — 
			 Isle of Wight Council 1 — — — 
			 Islington LB — — 1 — 
			 Kennet DC 1 — 1 — 
			 Knowsley MBC 1 — 1 — 
			 Liverpool CC 2 — — — 
			 Manchester CC 7 — 3 — 
			 Mansfield DC — — 1 — 
			 Mid Sussex DC 1 — 1 — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council — — 9 — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 3 — — — 
			 Oldham MBC 1 — — — 
			 Penwith DC — — 1 — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council 1 — — — 
			 Rochdale MBC 2 — — — 
			 Rother DC 1 — — — 
			 Salisbury DC — — — — 
			 Sandwell MBC — — — — 
			 Southwark LB — — 1 — 
			 St. Helens MBC 2 — 1 — 
			 Stoke on Trent 2 — — — 
			 Trafford MBC 2 — 3 — 
			 Vale Royal BC — — 1 — 
			 Walsall BC 1 — 2 — 
			 Waltham Forest LB 3 — — — 
			 Warwick DC 1 — 1 — 
			 Wirrall MBC 1 — — — 
			 Woking BC — — 3 — 
			 Wolverhampton CC 1 — — — 
			 Worcester CC 3 — — — 
			 Total 59 — 54 — 
			 (1) Between 1 April 1999 and 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area. Notes:1. Some of the local authority areas defined in the table may not be classified as formally listed borough, city, district or unitary authorities.2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table A: Number of ASBOs for under 16-year-olds applied for by registered social Landlords in magistrates and county courts in England and Wales, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by local authority area from 1 April 1999( 1)  to 30 September 2005 (latest available) 
			   Total ASBOs  Period 
			   1 April 1999 to 30 September 2005  1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000( 1)  1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC 2 — — — — — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC 1 — — — — — 
			 Burnley BC 3 — — — — — 
			 Enfield LB 1 — — — — — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC 1 — — — — — 
			 Havering LB 1 — — — — — 
			 Kennet DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Manchester CC 3 — — — — — 
			 Masfield DC 1 — — — — — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 2 — — — — — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council 1 — — — — — 
			 Salisbury DC 1 — — — — — 
			 Southwark LB 1 — — — — — 
			 St. Helens MBC 3 — — — — — 
			 Trafford MBC 4 — — — — — 
			 Walsall MBC 1 — — — — — 
			 Woking BC 2 — — — — — 
			 Total 31 — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   Period 
			   1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001  1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002  1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC — — — — — — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC — — — — — — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC — — — — — — 
			 Burnley BC — — — — — — 
			 Enfield LB — — — — — — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC — — — — — — 
			 Havering LB — — — — — — 
			 Kennet DC — — — — — — 
			 Manchester CC — — — — 3 — 
			 Masfield DC — — — — — — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council — — — — — — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC — — — — — — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council — — — — — — 
			 Salisbury DC — — — — 1 — 
			 Southwark LB — — — — — — 
			 St. Helens MBC — — — — — — 
			 Trafford MBC — — — — 3 — 
			 Walsall MBC — — — — — — 
			 Woking BC — — — — — — 
			 Total — — — — 7 — 
		
	
	
		
			   Period 
			   1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004  1 January 2005 to 30 September 2005 
			  Local authority area  Total issued  Total refused  Total issued  Total refused 
			 Adur DC — — 1 — 
			 Bradford, City of, MDC — — 2 — 
			 Brighton and Hove CC 1 — — — 
			 Burnley BC — — 3 — 
			 Enfield LB — — 1 — 
			 Epsom and Ewell BC 1 — — — 
			 Havering LB — — 1 — 
			 Kennet DC — — 1 — 
			 Manchester CC — — — — 
			 Masfield DC — — 1 — 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council — — 2 — 
			 North Hertfordshire DC — — 1 — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Council 1 — — — 
			 Salisbury DC — — — — 
			 Southwark LB — — 1 — 
			 St. Helens MBC 2 — 1 — 
			 Trafford MBC 1 — — — 
			 Walsall MBC — — 1 — 
			 Woking BC — — 2 — 
			 Total 6 — 18 — 
			 (1) Between 1 April 1999 -31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area. Notes:1. Some of the local authority areas defined in the table may not be classified as formally listed borough, city, district or unitary authorities.2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Bulgaria

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitor visas have been issued to people from Bulgaria in each month since 2001.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of visit visas issued to Bulgarian Nationals in each month since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Visit visas (excluding family visits) 
			  Issued 
			  Month  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April 1,197 1,182 961 904 1,181 1,062 
			 May 1,560 1,158 1,137 934 1,133 1,518 
			 June 1,726 1,117 1,295 1,427 1,848 1,824 
			 July 1,482 1,164 1,318 1,215 1,037 1,535 
			 August 1,053 886 855 846 1,299 1,391 
			 September 940 1,000 916 929 1,173 1,293 
			 October 1,032 976 1,137 1,054 1,300 — 
			 November 1,106 960 931 1,166 1,402 — 
			 December 786 652 696 770 888 — 
			 January 884 797 1,069 991 1,190 — 
			 February 940 828 1,057 987 1,222 — 
			 March 815 928 1,129 1,194 1,435 — 
			 Total 13,251 11,648 12,501 12,417 15,108 8,623 
		
	
	
		
			  Family visits 
			  Issued 
			  Month  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April 0 169 193 190 239 278 
			 May 0 175 203 224 218 324 
			 June 0 183 259 330 297 405 
			 July 0 178 258 259 290 326 
			 August 0 167 186 214 329 318 
			 September 0 125 159 161 252 169 
			 October 0 185 193 253 650 — 
			 November 1 240 217 408 705 — 
			 December 1 211 219 292 572 — 
			 January 3 120 120 134 184 — 
			 February 15 119 149 156 199 — 
			 March 108 134 221 244 368 — 
			 Total 128 2,006 2,377 2,865 4,303 1,820 
		
	
	UK visas makes every effort to ensure that statistics produced from Central Referencing System are accurate. However, the complexity of our global business, including technical failures or occasional inconsistencies in data entry across over 150 offices means that we cannot guarantee 100 per cent. accuracy.

Community Orders

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have had their benefit withheld following the breach of a community order in each of the pilot areas.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) jointly undertook to pilot a scheme to apply a benefits sanction to offenders found to be in breach of their community sentence. The scheme was piloted in four probation areas— Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, West Midlands, and Teesside from October 2001.
	The following figures for the number of offenders sanctioned have been compiled by DWP and are not available at area level.
	
		
			  High level figures for the original 12-month evaluation period, 15 October 2001 to 14 October 2002 
			   Number 
			 Warning letters issued to offenders 3,124 
			 Notifications of breach determination 883 
			 Sanctions applied 396 
			   
			 Offenders receiving a 100 per cent. sanction on JSA 237 
			 Offenders receiving a 40 per cent. reduction on IS 153 
			 Offenders receiving a 20 per cent. reduction on IS 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Overall figures on numbers sanctioned to end of further monitoring period, 15 October 2001 to 13 May 2005 
			   Number 
			 Warning letters issued to offenders 17,304 
			 Notifications of breach notification 6,310 
			 Sanctions applied 2,795 
			   
			 Offenders receiving a 100 per cent. sanction on JSA 1,569 
			 Offenders receiving a 40 per cent. reduction on IS 1,160 
			 Offenders receiving a 20 per cent. reduction on IS 65 
			 Offenders receiving a sanction on their training allowance 1 
			  Notes: 1. JSA = Job Seekers Allowance.  2. IS = Income Support.

Crime (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes recorded in North Kent resulted in an arrest and successful prosecution in the last year for which statistics are available.

Tony McNulty: The information requested on arrests for violent crimes in North Kent is not available centrally. Information on arrests is based on persons arrested for recorded crime "notifiable" offences by police force area only in England and Wales and therefore does not identify individual areas.
	Information from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants convicted of violent crime in the North Kent area is shown in the following table. Figures for 2005 will be available in November 2006.
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty at all courts for violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery, in North Kent, 2004( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Number 
			  Offence type  Found guilty 
			 Violence against the person 264 
			 Sexual offences 33 
			 Robbery 53 
			 Total 350 
			 (1) These data are on the principle offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) The data supplied for North Kent comprises the following local justice areas: West Kent, Faversham and Sittingbourne, Thanet and Dartford and Gravesham.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total carbon emission from his Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: In order to contribute to the annual Sustainable Development in Government report, Departments submit data on the energy consumption used across their office estate. This is then converted by the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) into an estimate of the carbon emissions that resulted. The details for the Home Office estate (including prisons) for the years since 1997 are:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Consumption (thousand tonnes of carbon) 
			 1997-98(1) 123.1 
			 1998-99(1) 109.7 
			 1999-2000 104.6 
			 2000-01 102.7 
			 2001-02 103.3 
			 2002-03 111.9 
			 2003-04 104.3 
			 2004-05 107.0 
			 2005-06 (2)— 
			 (1) The figures for these years were calculated by the BRE using a different methodology and are not directly comparable with figures for subsequent years.  (2) Not yet available.

Departmental Child Care Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of his Department's premises have child care facilities on site.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office provides a limited number of subsidised workplace nursery and playscheme places in London, Croydon and Merseyside. The following table sets out the nurseries and playschemes used and whether the provision is provided on or off site.
	
		
			  Workplace nursery places  Location  On/Off site  Number of places available 
			 Buffer Bear Network Central London and the South East Off site 32 
			 Sunbeam Nursery(1) Croydon On site 71 
			 Early Days Nursery Liverpool Off site 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Holiday play schemes  Area  On/Offsite  Number of places (days) 
			 Westminster Holiday Playscheme Central London Off site (2)463 
			 Happy Hours Playscheme Crosby Off site (2)15 
			 Sunbeam Playscheme Croydon On site (2)4,060 
			 Kidz Club Playscheme Liverpool Off site (3)15 
			 (1) The Sunbeam Nursery will be closing in December 2006.  (2) Use of the play scheme varies and places are generally provided on a 'first come first served basis'. The figures provided are based on the number of days used by staff in the financial year 2005-06.  (3) As use of the play scheme varies an estimate has been provided based on usage of the scheme so far this year.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hit and run accidents there were in  (a) Southend,  (b) Essex,  (c) the Metropolitan police area of London and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 2004; in how many cases the drivers were taken to court and (i) fined, (ii) imprisoned and (iii) acquitted; and what percentage of fines remain unpaid.

Vernon Coaker: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and given in Tables A to D2 show the number of offences proceeded against by result for the offence of "failing to stop after an accident" under the Road Traffic Act 1988 section 170(4) for 2004 (latest available). 2005 data will be available early in 2007. Table E, provided by the Department for Transport, details data for those accidents classified as hit and run. Fines are collected by the court. However, the DCA are unable to break down fine payments by offence category.
	
		
			  Table A: Court proceedings for accident offences( 1)  within Southend-on-Sea magistrates court by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings 317 
			 Charges withdrawn/dismissed(2) 77 
			 Total findings of guilt 205 
			 Immediate custody(3) 9 
			 Fine 118 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s.9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).  (3) Includes Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences( 1)  dealt with by Essex police by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings 1,141 
			 Charges withdrawn/dismissed(2) 338 
			 Total findings of guilt 703 
			 Immediate custody(3) 41 
			 Fine 383 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s.9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).  (3) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences( 1)  dealt with by Essex police by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings for trial 11 
			 Acquitted 2 
			 Total findings of guilt 8 
			 Immediate custody(2) — 
			 Fine 2 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences( 1)  dealt with by the Metropolitan police by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings 1,812 
			 Charges withdrawn/dismissed(2) 651 
			 Total findings of guilt 626 
			 Immediate custody(3) 34 
			 Fine 457 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s.9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).  (3) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences( 1)  dealt with by Metropolitan police by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings for trial 31 
			 Acquitted 5 
			 Total findings of guilt 24 
			 Immediate custody(2) 6 
			 Fine 7 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences( 1)  within England and Wales by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings 27,831 
			 Charges withdrawn/dismissed(2) 9,573 
			 Total findings of guilt 15,882 
			 Immediate custody(3) 540 
			 Fine 8,257 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s.9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).  (3) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences( 1)  within England and Wales by result, 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 Total proceedings for trial 515 
			 Acquitted 94 
			 Total findings of guilt 398 
			 Immediate custody(2) 58 
			 Fine 34 
			 (1) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s.170(4).  (2) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS-OCJR. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table E: Personal injury road accidents involving at least one hit and run driver, 2004-05 
			   2004  2005 
			  Local authority (district)   
			 Southend-on-Sea 101 60 
			
			  County(1)   
			 Essex 767 518 
			
			  Police force code   
			 Metropolitan police 4,333 3,818 
			
			  Country   
			 England and Wales 22,784 21,405 
			 (1) Includes the two unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.   Source:  Department for Transport.

Motoring Offences

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for driving whilst using a mobile phone in each police force area in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Available information taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the year 2004 (latest available) is given in the following table. As the majority of 'use of hand held mobile phone while driving' offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty notice these are also included.
	2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Fixed penalty Notices issued and total court proceedings for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1)  by police force area. England and Wales, 2004 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  Fixed penalty notices issued  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total dealt with 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,902 19 1,921 
			 Bedfordshire 579 5 584 
			 Cambridgeshire 219 7 226 
			 Cheshire 2,689 2 2,691 
			 Cleveland 1,066 4 1,070 
			 Cumbria 528 24 552 
			 Derbyshire 978 17 995 
			 Devon and Cornwall 796 19 815 
			 Dorset 521 (3)— 521 
			 Durham 504 1 505 
			 Essex 2,431 28 2,459 
			 Gloucestershire 632 1 633 
			 Greater Manchester 8,166 73 8,239 
			 Hampshire 2,032 18 2,050 
			 Hertfordshire 2,526 6 2,532 
			 Humberside 381 4 385 
			 Kent 1,707 (3)— 1,707 
			 Lancashire 1,719 17 1,736 
			 Leicestershire 759 12 771 
			 Lincolnshire 1,529 9 1,538 
			 London, City of 137 7 144 
			 Merseyside 1,836 22 1,858 
			 Metropolitan Police 13,581 203 13,784 
			 Norfolk 887 20 907 
			 Northamptonshire 297 (3)— 297 
			 Northumbria 1,271 32 1,303 
			 North Yorkshire 720 18 738 
			 Nottinghamshire 653 8 661 
			 South Yorkshire 1,978 12 1,990 
			 Staffordshire 264 11 275 
			 Suffolk 978 7 985 
			 Surrey 2,213 9 2,222 
			 Sussex 546 1 547 
			 Thames Valley 3,716 24 3,740 
			 Warwickshire 621 7 628 
			 West Mercia 2,200 17 2,217 
			 West Midlands 3,864 61 3,925 
			 West Yorkshire 2,368 11 2,379 
			 Wiltshire 700 21 721 
			 Dyfed Powys 363 13 376 
			 Gwent 517 (3)— 517 
			 North Wales 999 3 1,002 
			 South Wales 1,603 16 1,619 
			 England and Wales 73,976 789 74,765 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3). (2) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. (3 )Nil prosecutions.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Motoring Offences

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for driving while using a hand-held mobile phone in each month since it became an offence;
	(2)  what the  (a) maximum,  (b) minimum and  (c) average penalty imposed for driving while using a hand-held mobile phone has been in each month since it became an offence.

Vernon Coaker: Information on motoring offences fixed penalty notices are collected from police forces on a calendar year basis only. Totals for year 2003 and 2004 (latest available) are given in Table A.
	Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for 2003 to 2004 (latest available) showing maximum, minimum and average penalty imposed by month is given in Table B. 2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Table A: Fixed penalty notices data for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1) ; England and Wales 2003-04 
			   Number of tickets 
			 2003 (2,3)1,900 
			 2004 (3)74,000 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3).(2) Introduced as from 1 December 2003.(3) Only covers tickets paid where there is no further action. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Court imposed maximum, minimum and average fine for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1,2) , England and Wales, 2003-04 
			of which: 
			  Year and month  Total number of fines( 3)  Maximum fine (£)  Minimum fine (£)  Average  fines (£) 
			  2003 
			 December 1 30 30 30 
			  
			  2004 596 400 20 69 
			 January 4 40 25 30 
			 February 3 50 40 47 
			 March 15 200 30 78 
			 April 25 150 30 59 
			 May 30 250 20 81 
			 June 62 200 25 63 
			 July 55 250 20 67 
			 August 61 300 20 77 
			 September 89 300 20 70 
			 October 83 200 20 64 
			 November 101 400 20 79 
			 December 68 250 25 60 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3) as from 1 December 2003.(2) Maximum sentence available at the magistrates court = L3 Fine (1,000).(3) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. Note:Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Police Finance

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average band D police precept was in  (a) England and  (b) England and Wales in each year since 1997-98.

Tony McNulty: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Average police precept (Band D) 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			  £ 
			   England  England and Wales 
			 1997-98 55.09 54.74 
			 1998-99 59.32 59.19 
			 1999-2000 64.26 64.36 
			 2000-01 69.01 69.64 
			 2001-02 77.80 78.24 
			 2002-03 89.52 89.77 
			 2003-04 112.16 112.36 
			 2004-05 125.91 126.33 
			 2005-06 132.62 132.95 
			 2006-07 139.97 140.28 
			  Note: England figures exclude the City of London.   Source: Department of Communities and Local Government; and National Assembly for Wales

Police Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average salary is of a  (a) police inspector,  (b) chief inspector,  (c) police superintendent and  (d) assistant chief constable, broken down by region.

Tony McNulty: Information on average salary is not held centrally. Information on pay scales for all police ranks is available from the website of the Office of Manpower Economics at www.ome.uk.com. The following table details the ranks requested compiled from this source.
	
		
			  Pay Scales for Certain Police Officer Ranks from 1 September 2005 
			   £ 
			  Assistant Chief Constable 79,566 to 92,829 
			 Equivalent London ranks receive in addition London Allowance 4,338 
			 and London Weighting 1,995 
			   
			  Superintendent  
			 National 54,636 to 66,573 
			 London 60,969 to 72,906 
			   
			  Chief Inspector( 1)  
			 National 45,417 to 47,286 
			 London 47,229 to 49,095 
			   
			  Inspector( 1)  
			 National 41,034 to 44,508 
			 London 42,834 to 46,320 
			 (1) Chief Inspectors and Inspectors at the top of the scale for 12 months will have access to an additional competence related threshold payment of £1,062 per year. 
		
	
	South East England Allowance is paid in certain forces at the following rates:
	Essex, Herts, Kent, Surrey, Thames Valley: £2,000
	Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Sussex: £1,000

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) remand prisoners and  (b) convicted prisoners died in custody in HMP Brixton (i) in each of the last nine calendar years for which figures are available and (ii) between 1 January and 13 July 2006; and what the cause of death was in each case in which no legal proceedings are outstanding.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 18 July 2006
	The number of all deaths at HMP Brixton in each year, 1997-2005, and between one January and 13 July 2006 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Apparent cause of death( 1)  Legal status  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  203  2004  2005  2006 (to 13 July) 
			 Natural Causes Remand 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Natural Causes Sentenced 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Other non-natural(2) Convicted Unsentenced 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Self-inflicted(3) Convicted Unsentenced 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 
			 Self-inflicted Judgment Respited 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Self-inflicted Remand 0 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 
			 Self-inflicted Sentenced 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 (1) This column shows the apparent cause of death, as categorised by the National Offender Management Service (MOMS); this categorisation is not dependent on legal proceedings (i.e. inquest).(2) 'Other non-natural deaths' include apparent accidental deaths (e.g. drug overdoses)(3) NOMS employs the term 'self-inflicted death' rather than suicide. This includes all deaths where it appears the individual has acted specifically to take their own life, and not only those that receive an 'open' or 'suicide' verdict at inquest

Prisons

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of women on reception at prison were assessed as  (a) being misusers of alcohol,  (b) being misusers of drugs,  (c) suffering mental ill-health and  (d) any one of these in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of women discharged from prison had intervention while in prison to address  (a) misuse of alcohol,  (b) misuse of drugs,  (c) mental ill-health and  (d) any one of these in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No records are kept centrally of the number of women entering prison with drug, alcohol and mental health problems. Epidemiological studies however, show that:  (a) around 39 per cent. of sentenced women are classified as hazardous drinkers,  (b) for women on remand, 7 per cent. reported moderate drug dependence, 47 per cent. reported severe dependence,  (c) 90 per cent. of prisoners had at least one mental health disorder with 14 per cent. possessing severe disorders; and  (d) of women classed as hazardous drinkers, 77 per cent. had two or more mental disorders. For those assessed as drug dependent the equivalent figure was 75 per cent. There is limited information available on the proportion of women receiving interventions: records are not available centrally to show what proportion of women have had interventions to address the misuse of alcohol. Information on the number of drug treatment interventions is given in the table.
	
		
			  Women only establishments  Clinical interventions  CARATS( 1)  assessments  Drug treatment programme starts  Drug treatment programme completions  VDT (compacts agreed) 
			 2003-04 8,168 4,735 297 132 1,847 
			 2004-05 6,935 5,423 448 312 1,831 
			 2005-06 5,569 5,819 577 429 1,920 
			 (1) Counselling, assessment, referral, throughcare and treatment service. 
		
	
	Records are not available centrally to show what proportion of women on release have had interventions to address the misuse of mental health problems.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on enhanced thinking skills courses by the Prison Service in each region in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The actual spend for the delivery of the enhanced thinking skills programme cannot be disaggregated from establishment baselines. However, the following table gives estimated figures based on delivery in prisons by region in the last three years, the period for which information is available. Spend between regions will vary depending on factors such as the volume of delivery, the delivery of other programmes, and the number of establishments.
	
		
			  Spend on enhanced thinking skills programmes in prisons by region 2003-06 
			  £000 
			  Region  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 East of England 1,283 1,126 1,203 
			 East Midlands 1,888 1,758 1,639 
			 London 598 574 464 
			 North East 783 741 724 
			 North West 1,575 1,751 1,789 
			 South East 2,739 2,116 1,874 
			 South West 1,162 1,410 1,179 
			 Wales 486 484 493 
			 West Midlands 1,305 1,269 1,362 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,333 1,267 1,166 
			 Total 13,152 12,498 11,893

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of staff claimed to have been bullied at work in each of the two most recent surveys of staff in HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Prison Service has a written policy on bullying in the workplace.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The proportion of staff who stated they had been bullied at work in the 2004 and 2005 public sector Prison Service staff survey is shown in the following table.
	The results from each survey are considered by the Prison Service Management Board and disseminated to staff. Governors are responsible for developing and implementing a local action plan.
	Chapter 9 (Harassment and Discrimination Procedures) of Prison Service Order 8010 on equal opportunities sets out Prison Service policy on managing and dealing with bullying in the workplace. The Service's Professional Standards Statement makes it clear that discrimination, harassment, victimisation and bullying of any kind will not be tolerated.
	
		
			  Staff who had experienced bullying in the 12 months prior to the survey 
			   Percentage 
			 2004 18 
			 2005 19

Prostitution

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under  (a) 16 and  (b) 18 years of age have been charged by police with engaging in prostitution in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the office for criminal justice reform for the number of children under  (a) 16 and  (b) 18 years of age have been prosecuted at magistrates courts for engaging in prostitution in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004 can be viewed in the following table. 2004 data show the inclusion of a new list of some offences brought under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into effect on 1 May 2004.
	
		
			  Number of children under (a) 16 and (b) 18 years of age proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating lo engaging in prostitution( 1)  in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004( 2,3) 
			  Age  2000( 4)  2001  2002  2003  2004( 3) 
			 10-15 1 1 2 — 2 
			 16-17 1 1 2 — — 
			 (1 )This includes parts of the following Acts: Sexual Offences Act 1956, Sexual Offences Act1967. and Sexual Offences Act 2003.(2 )These data are on the principal offence basis.(3 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those date are used.(4 )Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.(5 )Data for 2004 includes a list of some of the new offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 Source:RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformOur net PO 206-06House of Commons Number [90124]

Reoffending

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the last 25 years convicted murderers released from  (a) psychiatric institutions and  (b) prisons have committed murders after release.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information available centrally relates to homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales, and shows numbers of suspects convicted of these homicides after release or termination of sentence for a previous homicide conviction. The following table provides this information for each year since 1980. It is not possible to distinguish between sentences served in psychiatric institutions and prisons.
	
		
			  Suspects convicted of homicide after release or termination of sentence for previous homicide conviction( 1) 
			  Year offence initially recorded  Number of suspects 
			 1980 1 
			 1981 3 
			 1982 2 
			 1983 3 
			 1984 4 
			 1985 3 
			 1986 3 
			 1987 1 
			 1988 4 
			 1989 4 
			 1990 6 
			 1991 2 
			 1992 6 
			 1993 2 
			 1994 2 
			 1995 6 
			 1996 1 
			 1997 1 
			 1997-98 1 
			 1998-99 1 
			 1999-2000 5 
			 2000-01 1 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 1 
			 2003-04 1 
			 2004-05 1 
			 (1) As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

Rural Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) burglaries,  (b) offences involving violence against the person,  (c) sexual offences and  (d) car and property crimes there were in rural areas in 2005-06.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is given in the following table. The figures cover the 13 police force areas designated as either 'most rural' or 'least rural' according to 'A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN)'. The 13 forces are: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Dyfed-Powys, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, North Wales, Suffolk, West Mercia and Wiltshire. Further details regarding ACORN classifications are given in Appendix B of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/02 entitled 'Rural Crime'. A copy of this publication is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb102.pdf
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded crime in rural areas—2005-06 
			  Offences  Number of offences 
			 Burglary 85,488 
			 Violence against the person 153,205 
			 Sexual offences 10,188 
			 Vehicle crime 80,539 
			 All property crime 579,156

Sentencing

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of  (a) any length,  (b) no more than six months and  (c) no more than one month in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested, for England and Wales, is contained in the following table.
	Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	Consequently, although the figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.
	We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing court sentencing data and how this might be improved
	
		
			  Women sentenced to immediate custody at all courts, England and Wales, 2002-04 
			  Persons 
			  Sentence length  2002  2003  2004 
			 6 months or less 6,291 6,323 6,211 
			 Of which, less than 6 months 5,734 5,787 5,686 
			 Of which, 1 month or less 1,742 1,787 1,785 
			 Of which, less than 1 month 1,098 1,202 1,261 
			 Total women sentenced to immediate custody 8,831 8,810 8,754 
			  Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.   Source:  RDS NOMS 26 Jul 06

Soliciting

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the charge of soliciting has been applied to people under the age of 18 years in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex.

Vernon Coaker: Data on charging is not collected, however information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants aged 10-17 proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for soliciting offences, broken down as requested, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons aged 10 to 17 proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences related to soliciting, by sex and age—England and Wales, 2000-04( 1, 2) 
			  Males 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Offence/age  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence: Man soliciting or importuning in a public place for immoral purposes 
			  Statute: Sexual Offences Act 1956 S.32 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 15 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 16 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 17 — — 1 1 — — — — — — 
			 Total — — 1 1 — — — — — — 
			
			  Offence: Persistent soliciting of women for the purpose of prostitution 
			  Statute: Sexual Offences Act 1985 S.2 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 15 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 16 — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 17 1 — — — — — — — 1 — 
			 Total 1 — — — 1 — — — 1 — 
			
			  Offence: Common prostitute loitering or soliciting for the purpose of prostitution 
			  Statute: Street Offences Act 1959 S.1 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 15 1 — — — — — — — — — 
			 16 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 17 1 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Total 2 — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Females 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Offence/age  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence: Man soliciting or importuning in a public place for immoral purposes 
			  Statute: Sexual Offences Act 1956 S.32 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 15 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 16 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 17 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Total — — — — — — — — — — 
			
			  Offence: Persistent soliciting of women for the purpose of prostitution 
			  Statute: Sexual Offences Act 1985 S.2 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 15 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 16 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 17 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Total — — — — — — — — — — 
			
			  Offence: Common prostitute loitering or soliciting for the purpose of prostitution 
			  Statute: Street Offences Act 1959 S.1 
			 10 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 11 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 12 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 13 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 14 1 1 — — — — — — 1 — 
			 15 3 1 2 1 — — — — — — 
			 16 3 1 2 — 2 1 1 1 1 — 
			 17 36 20 10 6 13 5 3 2 5 3 
			 Total 43 23 14 7 15 6 4 3 7 3 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be take to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these date are used.   Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Theft Act

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under section 3 on 'making off without payment' of the Theft Act 1978 in the Humberside Police Authority area in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Data from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates court, under section three on 'making off without payment' of the Theft Act 1978 in the Humberside Police Authority, 1996 to 2004 are contained in the following table.
	Statistics for 2005 court proceedings will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to section 3 of the Theft Act 1978 in Humberside police force area, 1996 to 2004( 1,2) 
			   Prosecuted 
			 1996 37 
			 1997 25 
			 1998 17 
			 1999 19 
			 2000 28 
			 2001 21 
			 2002 20 
			 2003 20 
			 2004 31 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Under-age Drinking

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for the sale of alcohol to minors in  (a) licensed and  (b) off-licence premises in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is provided in the table. It is not possible to identify whether the prosecutions relate to licensed or off-licence premises as the data held centrally is not collected at that level of detail.
	Data for 2005 will be available in November.
	The offence of sale of alcohol to a person under 18 can attract a penalty notice for disorder (PND). The offence was added to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004, and there were 113 Penalty Notices issued for the offence in November and December of that year. Provisional data for 2005 shows that a further 2,009 penalty notices were issued for the offence in 2005.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences related to the sale of alcohol to persons under 18, England and Wales 1995-2004( 1,2) 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Year  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 S. 169 A & B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1
			   1995 198 108 
			   1996 251 119 
			   1997 214 125 
			   1998 310 157 
			   1999 204 115 
			   2000 130 56 
			   2001 155 53 
			   2002 168 105 
			   2003 604 416 
			   2004 836 590 
			 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to person under 18 Licensing Act 1964 S.181 A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 S.17
			   1997 1 1 
			   1998 1 1 
			   1999 1 0 
			   2000 2 0 
			   2001 3 0 
			   2002 2 0 
			   2003 12 3 
			   2004 5 3 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source:RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Under-age Drinking

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) licensed and  (b) off-licence premises have lost their licences due to the sale of alcohol to minors in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.
	Statistical returns recording on and off-licensed premises operating under the terms of the Licensing Act 1964 (the 1964 Act) are collated and published every three years. Accordingly, between 1996 and 2006, statistics are only available for the years 1998, 2001 and 2004. The number of on and off-licences revoked or not renewed for any reason are as follows:
	
		
			  Licences revoked 1998 to 2004 
			  Year to 30 June  On-licensed premises  Off-licensed premises  Total 
			 1998 215 102 317 
			 2001 132 51 183 
			 2004 273 81 354 
		
	
	These licences would have been revoked or not renewed by the licensing justices for a variety of reasons, including sales to persons under 18. Reasons for each decision are not recorded.
	The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005 and replaced on and off-licences issued under the 1964 Act with a new system of personal licences to sell alcohol and a separate licence for premises. Statistics for revocations of licences, under the new system, are not currently held centrally; information should however be available from local licensing authorities.

Under-age Sex

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person aged under 16 years were  (a) reported,  (b) the subject of a caution and  (c) prosecuted in (i) the 12 months prior to and (ii) each 12 month period since June 2004.

Liam Byrne: Data on the number of offenders cautioned, defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences related to unlawful sexual intercourse, are provided in the following table. Data for 2003 and 2004 have been given because these are the two most recent 12 month periods for which data are available.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	Figures for reported crime are not collected centrally. Data are provided for recorded crime available on a financial year basis. The recorded crime statistics are based on offences and the court proceedings statistics are based on persons. As a result the two datasets are not directly comparable.
	The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in May 2004, created a number of new offences which identified the age group of the victim.
	As a result, the recorded crime and court proceedings data provided are not comparable year on year.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences related to unlawful sexual intercourse with persons aged under 16, England and Wales 2003-04( 1,2,3) 
			   Offenders cautioned  Proceeded against 
			 2003 253 305 
			 2004 206 387 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.  (2) Data include offences of unlawful sexual intercourse with persons aged under 16 and persons under 13, as well as buggery by a male with a male under 16. Buggery offences include non-consensual buggery as well as consensual buggery.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Young Offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been kept in penal custody in each of the last three years; what proportion of children so held had  (a) some form of mental health problem,  (b) a history of having been in care,  (c) literacy levels below the average for their age,  (d) had no educational provision,  (e) reported experience of violence at home and  (f) reported suffering from sexual abuse.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information regarding the numbers of children under the age of 18 who are held in custody is provided in the following table. All children in penal custody below statutory school leaving age have access to educational provision regarding  (a) to  (c) and  (e) and (f). Information on these is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost, although research in these areas is published in Annex D of the Social Exclusion Unit report "Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners".
	
		
			  Young persons population in custody at 30 June 2003-05 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 Local authority secure children's homes 327 267 237 
			 Secure training centres 183 181 248 
			 Prison establishments 2,253 2,274 2,310 
			  Source:RDS-NOMS monthly briefs.

Bankruptcy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people were declared bankrupt in  (a) 2000-01,  (b) 2001-02,  (c) 2002-03,  (d) 2003-04 and  (e) 2004-05, broken down by those aged (i) under 20, (ii) 21 to 25, (iii) 26 to 30, (iv) 31 to 35, (v) 36 to 40 and (vi) over 41 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Official bankruptcy statistics are not routinely analysed by age and to provide the information on the age groups requested would incur disproportionate cost. However, the Insolvency Service published the report "Characteristics of a bankrupt" in March 2006 which included an analysis of bankruptcies in England and Wales by broad age groups for the financial years 2001-02 to 2004-05 and is available here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/insolvencyprofessionandlegislation/policychange/cob.pdf.
	The relevant statistics are summarised in the following table. Equivalent statistics for 2000-01 are not available.
	
		
			   Bankruptcy Orders by Age 
			   No Age Recorded  18 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50+  Total (where age is recorded) 
			 2001-02 1,857 1,681 7,083 6,664 6,102 21,530 
			 2002-03 1,847 2,496 7,683 6,898 6,202 23,279 
			 2003-04 1,826 4,116 9,076 7,857 6,767 27,816 
			 2004-05 2,634 6,520 11,253 9,073 8,006 34,852

Business Support

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance is available to people  (a) under and  (b) over 30 who want to start up their own business.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Trade and Industry and the Small Business Service schemes are available to all regardless of whether they are seeking to start or maintain a business. There are strict criteria for our business support schemes, however there are none in place with regards to age. You will find details of the DTI's business support schemes in Annex A.
	Responsibility for managing the delivery of business support products and services has largely been devolved to the Regional Development Agencies. The regions receive funding from six Government Departments (DfES, DWP, DTI, DCMS, DCLG, DEFRA), which forms part of their "single pot" of money that they can draw from to deliver the help and support they feel is necessary for the region. As a result, the support available for start-up businesses does vary from region to region.
	We strongly encourage people to approach Business Link to find out what support is available in their region. Business Link provides information, advice and support to all businesses seeking to start or grow their business. Advisers delivering the service will help customers to identify their needs, prioritise the areas they need to tackle and fast-track them to the support they need to make the most of their opportunities.
	Business Link will be able to signpost users to other schemes that are available from other Government departments, Regional Development Agencies and local authorities, some of whom have their own start-up programmes. There are also initiatives from charities and the private sector such at the Prince's Trust and Shell LiveWire. The devolved administrations will also have their own initiatives for assistance, as Business Link is only available in England.
	It is also worth noting the Department of Trade and Industry is leading a Government-wide initiative to simplify and streamline business support at a local, regional and national level. The work is being done in partnership with the RDAs, other Government Departments and local bodies. The programme was formally announced in the budget of March 2006.
	
		
			  Annex A 
			  Succeeding through innovation 
			  The product  Who is it for?  What does it provide?  Notes 
			 Knowledge Transfer Networks All businesses wanting to grow by exploiting technology. A grant to an intermediary to set up a network in a priority technology area, bringing together businesses, universities and others with an interest in technology applications. 1, 4 
			 Collaborative Research and Development All UK-based businesses wishing to exploit technology. Funding for collaborative R&D projects between businesses, universities and other potential collaborators. Eligible projects include business to business collaborations as well as science to business collaborations. 1, 4 
			 Grant for Research and Development Small businesses wishing to research and develop technologically innovative products and processes. A grant to help businesses carry out R&D that could lead to a technologically innovative product or process. 2, 4 
			 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships All businesses needing expert help to innovate. A grant to cover part of the cost of using a person to transfer and embed knowledge into a business from the UK knowledge base via a strategic project. 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Achieving best practice in your business 
			  The product  Who is it for?  What does it provide?  Notes 
			 Business Performance Diagnostic Small businesses wanting practical help in implementing best practice. A free diagnostic run by a Business Link adviser, with subsidised consultancy for selected projects 3, 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Raising finance 
			  The product  Who is it for?  What does it provide?  Notes 
			 Small Firms Loan Guarantee Small businesses with viable proposals unable to obtain conventional loans because of a lack of security A government guarantee covering 75 per cent. of the loan, encouraging commercial lenders to provide loans to businesses lacking security. Borrowers pay DTI a premium of 2 per cent per annum in return for the guarantee 3, 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Regional investment 
			  The product  Who is it for?  What does it provide?  Notes 
			 Selective Finance for Investment in England Viable businesses of any size (excluding those in certain EC restricted sectors), looking to invest in the Assisted Areas but needing financial assistance to proceed. A grant towards a project's capital cost, subject to criteria on viability, productivity, creation / safeguarding of skilled jobs and quality, and need. 2, 4 
			  Notes:1 The DTI is delivering the Technology Strategy and Programme through these products. Applications can only be made in the priority technology areas specified by the Strategy. More details are available at www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme2 Available in England only. In many cases similar schemes are offered by the appropriate organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All other solutions are UK-wide.3 The DTI also funds various programmes to provide SMEs with better access to venture capital. 4 Participants maybe contacted on behalf of DTI as part of the department's routine evaluation and monitoring system.

Business Support

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what total expenditure was on all regional versions of the  (a) Accelerate,  (b) Access to Work,  (c) Arts Grants,  (d) Business Advice,  (e) Business Advice and Support,  (f) Business Advisors,  (g) Business Development,  (h) Business Planning,  (i) Business Start-Up,  (j) Grant for Research and Development,  (k) HIE Network Financial Assistance for Business,  (l) Historic Building Grants,  (m) Manufacturing Advisory Service,  (n) New Entrepreneur Scholarship,  (o) Selective Finance for Investment England,  (p) Start-Up and  (q) Workforce Development schemes in each of the past three financial years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 18 September 2006
	I have listed the details requested for the programmes that are the responsibility of the Department. However, several of the programmes for which information is requested are managed and financed by other Government Departments, as shown.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  (a) Accelerate 9,093 7,210 7,063 
			  (b) Access to Work Jobcentre Plus (DWP) 
			  (c) Arts Grants Arts Council (DCMS) 
			  (d) Business Advice Business Links (see below) 
			  (e) Business Advice and Support Business Links (see below) 
			  (f) Business Advisers Business Links (see below) 
			  (g) Business Development Business Links (see below) 
			  (h) Business Planning Business Links (see below) 
			  (i) Business Start-Up Business Links (see below) 
			  (j) Grant for Research and Development 46,000 39,400 26,800 
			  (k) HIE Network Financial Assistance for Business Highlands and Islands Enterprise (Scottish Executive) 
			  (l) Historic Building Grants English Heritage (DCMS) 
			  (m) Manufacturing Advisory Service 7,048 10,416 12,417 
			  (n) New Entrepreneur Scholarship Learning and Skills Council (DfES) 
			  (o) Selective Finance for Investment England 0 3,675 24,883 
			  (p) Start-Up Unknown 
			  (q) Workforce Development schemes Learning and Skills Council (DfES) 
			 Business Links (as per  (d) to  (j) above) 142,000 142,000 142,000

Company Accounts

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what total amount of company accounts late filing penalties was  (a) levied and  (b) collected in 2005-06; and what the (i) length of delay and (ii) company status was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Details of late filing penalties issued by Companies House in 2005-06 are as follows :-
	
		
			  Private companies 
			  Period overdue  Number  Amount (£) 
			 0-3 months 131,600 13,160,000 
			 3-6 months 38,976 9,744,000 
			 6-12 months 24,771 12,385,500 
			 Over 12 months 6,467 6,467,000 
			 Total 201,814 41,756,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Public companies 
			  Period overdue  Number  Amount (£) 
			 0-3 months 956 478,000 
			 3-6 months 204 204,000 
			 6-12 months 103 206,000 
			 Over 12 months 34 170,000 
			 Total 1,297 1,058,000 
		
	
	The total amount of late filing penalties collected and passed to the Treasury in 2005-06 was £30.3 million pounds. This revenue does not relate solely to penalties issued for the year 2005-06 as there is often a time lag between penalties being issued and collected.

Departmental Staff

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's employees have been  (a) dismissed,  (b) suspended and  (c) subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Table 1 shows the numbers of staff subject to suspension or disciplinary action, including dismissal, for offences related to criminal charges.
	
		
			  Table 1: Disciplinary action relating to criminal charges 
			   Dismissed following suspension  Currently suspended  Subject to disciplinary penalty short of dismissal 
			 2006 to date 2 1 0 
			 2005 0 — 0 
			 2004 1 — 0 
			 2003 0 — 0 
			 2002 2 — 0 
		
	
	The Department has procedures in place for dealing with misconduct and gross misconduct. These procedures follow the standards set out in Chapter 4.3 of the "Civil Service Management Code", covering central rules on standards of conduct.
	All staff are required to report any criminal charges made against them.
	Details of disciplinary action are retained centrally for a period of five years. Figures prior to 2002 are not available.

Electricity Prices

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's latest estimate is of the price per kilowatt hour of electricity from  (a) tidal lagoons,  (b) marine current turbines,  (c) offshore wind,  (d) onshore wind,  (e) biomass and  (f) solar power; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not routinely publish estimates of the cost of generating electricity from various renewable energy sources. Estimates of generation costs from different technologies depend on the assumptions made about factors such as capital costs, discount rates and operation and maintenance costs.
	However, the latest estimates of the cost of electricity generation from onshore and offshore wind can be found in Chart Bl of the DTIs "The Energy Challenge: Energy Review", published in July 2006(1).
	(1) http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file31890.pdf
	
		
			  Type of installation( 1)  Price (pence/kWh) 
			 Offshore windfarm (capacity of 100MW) 5.5-9.0 
			 Onshore windfarm (capacity of 80MW) 5.0-6.5 
			 (1) New build 
		
	
	The Department also published in February 2004 "Results of Renewables Market Modelling"(1), which it had commissioned from OXERA. Table 3.7 of the document lists the lower bound entry costs of energy crops (biomass) and marine technologies (which encompass tidal lagoons and marine current turbines) for 2004.
	(1) http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file2207.pdf
	
		
			  Type of installation( 1)  Entry cost (pence/kWh) 
			 Energy crops (biomass) 4.5 
			 Marine 10.9 
			 (1) New build 
		
	
	Finally, the Department commissioned from Enviros Consulting a report entitled "The costs of supplying renewable energy"(1), published in September 2005. Table 6.7 gives estimates of the cost of generation from solar, wave and tidal technologies in 2004.
	(1) http:www.dti.gov.uk/files/file21118.pdf
	
		
			  Type of installation( 1)  Cost of generation (pence/kWh) 
			 Solar 55.5 
			 Tidal 10.8 
			 Wave 13.7 
			 (1) New build 
		
	
	The Government are committed to the development of various renewable technologies so that they become competitive with conventional sources of electricity generation. To this end, the Government announced in the Energy Review its intention to extend the Renewables Obligation.

Employment Act

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1115W, on the Employment Act, how many respondents there were to the Flexible Working Survey in each region.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The table shows the number of respondents(1 )surveyed in each region and Scotland and Wales.
	(1 )These are unweighted. For analysis the data obtained from the Omnibus Survey are weighted to ensure that demographic profiles match those of all adults in Great Britain aged 16 or over. Details of the weighting technique used can be found in the DTI Employment Relations Research Series No. 39—Results of the Second Flexible Working Employee Survey (www.dti.gov.uk/files/file11441.pdf).
	
		
			  Respondents from the DTI Second Flexible Working Employee Survey 2005 
			   Number 
			 North East 186 
			 North West 374 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 328 
			 East Midlands 215 
			 West Midlands 305 
			 East of England 119 
			 London 492 
			 South East 670 
			 South West 286 
			 Wales 190 
			 Scotland 336 
			 Total 3,501 
			  Source: BMRB Omnibus Survey, January 2005.

Microgeneration

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department  (a) has spent in each of the last three years and  (b) plans to spend in 2006-07 on the promotion of micro-electricity generation; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Clear Skies programme had a £12.5 million budget over the last three years, with approximately 25 per cent. of funds supporting micro electricity generation (wind and hydro) and 75 per cent. heat. The Major PV Demonstration programme had a £31 million budget over the last four years and the Low Carbon Buildings programme has a £80 million budget over the next three years, £1.5 million of which was brought forward to extend the Clear Skies and PV programmes.
	The amount of grant committed in each year over the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Clear Skies(1) 4,406,040 4,337,485 3,472,715 
			 MDP PV 7,950,643 8,253,471 9,425,805 
			 (1) Full budget including micro-electricity generation and heat 
		
	
	The Department plans to commit £13 million on the first phase of the Low Carbon Buildings programme (£30 million) in 2006-07. In terms of the additional £50 million announced in the March 2006 budget, we are currently working up the new programme and it is too early to estimate how much will be spent in the 2006-07 tax year.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many deceased claims have been made for miners in relation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Bassetlaw constituency in the last five years, broken down by solicitor.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of deceased chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims submitted in Bassetlaw, broken down by solicitor are in the following table.
	
		
			  Deceased claim receipts for Bassetlaw constituency by year 
			  Solicitor  <2001  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Total 
			 1 Legal Solicitors 0 0 0 0 34 0 0 34 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 26 25 140 387 102 0 0 680 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 33 293 21 85 31 0 0 463 
			 Wake Smith 5 2 2 247 14 0 0 270 
			 BRM Solicitors 0 3 1 81 159 0 0 244 
			 Raleys Solicitors 76 18 17 23 93 0 0 227 
			 Kidd & Spoor Harper Solicitors 9 4 25 125 37 0 0 200 
			 Graysons Solicitors 77 16 11 24 37 0 0 165 
			 The Legal Warehouse 2 0 63 66 27 0 0 158 
			 Barber & Co. 0 1 0 99 45 0 0 145 
			 Moss Solicitors 76 14 20 17 4 0 0 131 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers/Venside 63 10 0 13 16 0 0 102 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP 90 7 0 2 2 0 0 101 
			 Avalon Solicitors 1 0 2 23 71 P 0 97 
			 Delta Legal 0 0 0 1 92 0 0 93 
			 O H Parsons & Partners Solicitors 70 7 4 7 5 0 0 93 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 63 10 5 1 11 0 0 90 
			 Hugh James 4 0 0 34 23 0 0 61 
			 Randell Lloyd Jenkins & Martin 0 0 4 39 13 0 0 56 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors 26 3 6 3 19 0 0 57 
			 Onyems & Partners 0 0 0 52 3 0 0 55 
			 Recompense Ltd 0 0 0 0 52 0 0 52 
			 Ingrams Solicitors 0 0 1 33 14 0 0 48 
			 Stuart Bell & Associates 7 4 4 4 27 0 0 46 
			 Birchall Blackburn 0 0 0 21 23 0 0 44 
			 Hopkins 28 0 0 0 14 0 0 42 
			 Foy & Co Solicitors 14 2 2 2 19 0 0 39 
			 Hilary Meredith Solicitors 0 0 0 5 32 0 0 37 
			 Simpson Millar Solicitors 24 2 0 0 6 0 0 32 
			 Watson Burton LLP 5 2 1 4 13 0 0 25 
			 Towells Solicitors 12 4 1 6 1 0 0 24 
			 Atteys 1 2 1 5 11 0 0 20 
			 Richmonds Solicitors 8 6 4 1 1 0 0 20 
			 Browell Smith & Co 4 0 4 1 7 1 0 17 
			 Morions Solicitors 1 1 12 2 1 0 0 17 
			 Wheelers Solicitors 0 0 0 14 2 0 0 16 
			 Meloy Whittle Robinson 0 5 5 3 2 0 0 15 
			 Keeble Hawson Moorhouse 9 1 1 2 1 0 0 14 
			 J M Skinner Solicitors 0 5 0 4 3 0 0 12 
			 Cordner Lewis Solicitors 1 0 0 0 10 0 0 11 
			 German Hamilton Solicitors 1 0 0 6 3 0 0 10 
			 Tracey Barlow Furniss & Co 4 1 0 1 2 0 0 8 
			 Gorvin Smith Fort 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 7 
			 Pannone & Partners 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 6 
			 Colemans Solicitors 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Ryan Carlisle Thomas Lawyers 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 
			 Bac Solicitors 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 4 
			 Frank Alien Pennington Solicitors 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 4 
			 Proddow & Mackay Solicitors 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 
			 Burroughs Day Solicitors 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 
			 Marrons Solicitors 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 
			 MLM Solicitors 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 
			 Robinson King Solicitors 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 
			 Bailey Bravo Jobling 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Bell Dallman & Co 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Bell Wright & Co 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 DMH Stallard 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Emsleys Solicitors 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Hindle Campbell Solicitors 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Ilett & Clark Solicitors 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Reeds Solicitors 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Shaw & Co Solicitors 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 
			 Taylor Bracewell Solicitors 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Twigg Farnell 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Bleasdale & Co 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Brian McArdle Solicitors 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Corries Solicitors 0 1 0 11 7 0 0 19 
			 Dean Thomas & Co Solicitors 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Elliot Mather 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Endlars Solicitors 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Farleys 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Furley Page 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Hickmotts Solicitors 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Hollis & Co Solicitors 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Kites Solicitors 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Lawrence Hamblin 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Lopian Wagner Solicitors 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 McConville O'Neill 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Morrish & Co Solicitors 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Oakley & Davies 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Peace Revitt Solicitors 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Shacklocks Mansfield 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 SIS Law 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Wake Smith Solicitors 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Wilson Browne Incorp. Holyoak & Co 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Total 758 454 374 1,474 1,118 1 — 4,179 
			  Note:  The above analysis is of claims that were deceased as at 17 September 2006 where the claimant postcode falls in the Bassetlaw constituency. The analysis will include claims that were alive when the claim was submitted but have since died in process.

Nuclear Power

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the  (a) cost of and  (b) time needed to decommission each nuclear power station scheduled to close up to 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) assumed responsibility for the decommissioning and clean up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy on 1 April 2005. The NDA has four operational Magnox nuclear power stations: Dungeness A, Sizewell A, Oldbury, and Wylfa; and, seven which are being decommissioned: Berkeley, Bradwell, Calder Hall, Chapelcross, Hinkley A, Hunterston A, and Trawsfynydd. The recently approved NDA Strategy contains the following assumptions about decommissioning costs, end dates and states but also signals that the NDA intends to review these in consultation with stakeholders in the near future. Details are as follows:
	
		
			  Operational Magnox  Lifetime planned closure date  End state/date  Estimated decommissioning and clean-up costs( 1)  (£ million) 
			 Dungeness A (Kent) 1965-2006 Planned to cease generation end 2006 Landscaped/2111 1001.4 
			 Sizewell A (Suffolk) 1966-2006 Planned to cease generation end 2006 Delicensed/2110 870.6 
			 Oldbury (Gloucestershire) 1967-2008 Planned to cease generation end 2008 Delicensed/2118 1076.6 
			 Wylfa (Anglesey) 1971-2010 Planned to cease generation end 2010. Brownfield/2125 1006.5 
			  Non operational Magnox
			 Berkeley (Gloucestershire) 1962 to 1989 Delicensed/2083 773.7 
			 Bradwell (Essex) 1962 to 2002 Delicensed/2103 1086.6 
			 CalderHall (Cumbria) 1956 to 2003 Site cleared for delicensing/2117 1073.9 
			 Chapelcross (Dumfriesshire) 1959 to 2004 Undetermined/ 2128 1332.1 
			 Hinkley Point A (Somerset) 1965 to 2000 Delicensed/2104 1213.7 
			 Hunterston A (Ayrshire) 1964 to 1989 Delicensed/2090 1071.7 
			 Trawsfynydd (Gwynedd) 1965 to 1991 Delicensed/2096 1116.0 
			 (1 )Decommissioning and clean-up costs are based on the 2005-06 Lifecycle Baseline (LCBL)—see NDA Strategy. 
		
	
	The NDA's Strategy and details of its other activities is available through its web site at www.nda.gov.uk

Regional Development Agencies

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of total income was spent on administration by each of the regional development agencies in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the percentage of annual budget each regional development agency has spent on administration from their creation in financial year 1999-2000 to 2005-06 and the estimated percentage for 2006-07.
	
		
			  RDA administration costs as a percentage of annual budgets( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Advantage West Midlands 7 7 6 7 7 9 7 7 
			 East of England Development Agency 15 13 11 10 11 12 9 8 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 17 11 9 10 10 11 10 10 
			 London Development Agency — 3 4 6 5 9 8 n/a(2) 
			 North West Development Agency 8 9 5 8 10 9 10 10 
			 One North East 10 11 6 10 10 10 9 9 
			 South East England Development Agency 8 9 7 13 12 15 11 11 
			 South West Development Agency 17 14 11 14 16 14 13 13 
			 Yorkshire Forward 6 7 5 8 7 6 7 6 
			 (1) The income figure used is the Government grant to the Agency.  (2) The London Development Agencies administration budget is subject to the approval of their 2006-07 Corporate Plan by the Mayor.

Renewable Energy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many renewable obligation certificates were issued in Scotland in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005; and how many have been issued so far in 2006.

Malcolm Wicks: The amount of renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) that were issued in Scotland for the years in question were:
	
		
			   Amount 
			 2004 3,117,750 
			 2005 3,623,098 
			 2006 (1)748,940 
			 (1) Up to May

Research Councils

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the  (a) Arts and Humanities Research Council,  (b) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council,  (c) Council for the Central Laboratory of Research Councils,  (d) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council,  (e) Economic and Social Research Council,  (f) Medical Research Council,  (g) Natural Environment Research Council and  (h) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council budget was spent on administration costs in 2005-06; and what proportion of the funding grant this represented in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the proportion of the total budget spent on administration costs in 2005-06 and the proportion of Government funding spent on the same. The information is taken from expected outturn figures for 2005-06 for each of the Research Councils. This was published in the DTI Departmental Report 2006, Annex B3, which can be found here: http://reporting.dti.gov.uk/cgi-bin/rr.cgi/http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file28518.pdf
	
		
			   Research Councils 
			  £000 
			   AHRC  BBSRC  CCLRC  EPSRC  ESRC  NERC  MRC  PPARC 
			 Central administration spend 3,586 10,000 (1)n/a 23,054 6,851 21,366 17,437 5,461 
			 Resource/capital budget 68,846 326,364 292,921 575,010 123,712 371,092 486,539 306,566 
			 Proportion of administration costs to Government funding (percentage) 5.21 3.06 n/a 4.01 5.54 5.76 3.58 1.78 
			 Total budget(2) 86,769 341,294 368,618 575,687 136,298 417,273 571,076 343,221 
			 Proportion of administration costs to total budget (percentage) 4.13 2.93 n/a 4.00 5.03 5.12 3.05 1.59 
			  Notes:1. This figure is not stated in the departmental report separately.2. Includes financing by third party income.

Retail Shops (Scottish Islands)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of independent retail shops which  (a) opened and  (b) closed in (i) Orkney, (ii) Shetland and (iii) the Highlands and Islands in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the number of VAT retail business registrations and de-registrations in (i) Orkney council area, (ii) Shetland council area and (iii) the Highlands and Islands from 1997 to 2004 are shown in the following table.
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity.
	Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. In the retail sector 63 percent. of enterprises in the UK (200,000 out of 320,000) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.
	
		
			  VAT registrations and de-registrations in retail( 1)  in Orkney, Shetland and the Highlands and Islands, 1997-2004 
			  Number 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Orkney 
			 Registrations 5 5 0 5 5 5 5 5 
			 De-registrations 5 5 10 5 5 5 5 5 
			  
			  Shetland 
			 Registrations 5 10 5 10 5 5 5 5 
			 De-registrations 10 5 5 10 5 5 10 5 
			  
			  Highlands and Islands 
			 Registrations 100 130 120 110 100 130 110 105 
			 De-registrations 155 160 140 145 110 125 130 125 
			 (1 )Standard Industrial Classification 52, retail trade (except of motor vehicles), repair of personal and household goods.   Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 for data protection reasons.   Source:  Small Business Service figures based on data from the ONS Inter Departmental Business Register.

Solar Energy

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many photo-voltaic cells were installed in each of the last five years; what total subsidy was provided for their installation; and what estimate he has made of the amount of electricity generated from them.

Malcolm Wicks: The main Government support programmes for photovoltaic (PV) installations over the last five years were the Major PV Demonstration programme with a budget of £31 million, which closed to applications in March 2006. PV Field Trials with a budget of £10 million. PV will continue to receive support, along with other micro generation technologies, through the new £80 million Low Carbon Buildings Programme over the next three years. It is not possible to provide detailed information on the PV installations under the Low Carbon Buildings programme, which was launched in April 2006.
	For the PV programme and Field Trials we do not hold information on the number of cells installed, as this was not a measure used. The approximate number of kWp (size of system) installed under the Major PV Demonstration programme and the PV Field trials are set out as follows.
	 Major PV Demonstration programme
	
		
			  Stream 1 Household applications 
			   KWp  Number of projects  kWh/yr 
			 2002 176.07 94 266,025.80 
			 2003 497.17 228 777,359.80 
			 2004 786.78 339 1,209,289 
			 2005 1,188.85 483 1,836,101 
			 2006 193.4 80 306,417.50 
		
	
	
		
			  Stream 2 Large-Scale projects 
			   KWp  Number of projects  KWh/yr 
			 2002 530.22 17 396,146 
			 2003 1,324.64 43 1,035,728.52 
			 2004 509.1 21 405,943.47 
			 2005 19.6 1 15,934.80 
		
	
	In terms of subsidy levels under the Major PV Demonstration programme., for Stream 1 grant support is up to 50 per cent. of eligible costs. For Stream 2 the grant paid to applicants depends on the type of system installed (bolt on system or an integrated roof tile system) and the date at which the grant was approved for funding. Following is information on the how much grant is paid per kWp for each type of PV system.
	
		
			   £/kWp 
			  From June 2003  
			 Bolt-on 3,000 
			 Integrated 4,250 
			   
			  From 19 July 2004  
			 Bolt-on 2,800 
			 Integrated 4,000 
			 Semi-integrated 3,400 
			 Glass/glass 5,000 
			   
			  From 1 March 2005  
			 Bolt-on 2,500 
			 Integrated 3,500 
			 Semi-integrated 3,000 
			 Glass/glass 5,000 
		
	
	 Field Trials
	Total installed capacity 1.4MW
	Total spend to date is £7.3 million (direct to sites)—to be 7.8 million by the end. This is around 80 per cent. of the total value (approximately £9.4 million) of the PV Systems installed. The balance of the £10 million for the PV Field Trials has been taken up by the detailed monitoring required. We do not have precise information on output as yet. However, current estimates suggest in the region of 800MWh pa. This is based on a figure of 750kWhpa/kW for crystalline silicon at an optimum elevation. However, as many of sites were not installed in this way a 25 per cent. reduction has been applied. A rough estimate of total energy produced to date from the Field Trials is 2,000MWh, based on the average project generating for 2.5 years. Subsidy on the PV Field Trials was in the region of 80 per cent.

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest abortion rates in England per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years in 2005.

Caroline Flint: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  PCTs with the 10 highest and 10 lowest abortion rates, 2005 
			   Primary care organisation  Rate per 1,000 women resident aged 15 to 44 ASR( 1) 
			 5JH Cambridge City 9 
			 5KC Durham and Chester-le-Street 10 
			 5LK South Huddersfield 10 
			 5JJ South Cambridgeshire 10 
			 5F3 West Lancashire 11 
			 5GH North Hertfordshire and Stevenage 11 
			 5JT Central Suffolk 11 
			 5GN Uttlesford 11 
			 SHE Fylde 11 
			 5G1 Southern Norfolk 11 
			 5C9 Haringey 33 
			 5NC Waltham Forest 33 
			 5A8 Greenwich 34 
			 5C5 Newham 36 
			 5C3 City and Hackney 36 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham 36 
			 5K5 Brent 37 
			 5LF Lewisham 40 
			 5LD Lambeth 42 
			 5LE Southwark 45 
			 (1) Rates for PCOs are based on 2004 mid year population estimates.

Clostridium Difficile

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many isolates of clostridium difficile were typed by  (a) the Anaerobe Reference Laboratory and  (b) other typing laboratories used by her Department (i) in total and (ii) on average per week in each year since 2003-04.

Andy Burnham: The Anaerobe Reference Laboratory (ARL) is the sole provider of a national service for typing of  clostridium difficile.
	Laboratories are invited to refer isolates of  clostridium difficile for investigation of outbreaks and for cases of particular concern. The ARL began the national random sampling scheme in January 2005.
	The numbers of isolates referred to the ARL for the years 2003, 2004, 2005 and the first six months of 2006 are in the following table
	
		
			   Annual total 
			 2003 549 
			 2004 486 
			 2005 1,405 
			 2006(1) 1,285 
			 (1) January to June only   Notes:  In 2003 and 2004, ARL typed an average of about 10 isolates each week. Since January 2005, ARL has typed an average of about 40 isolates each week. 
		
	
	The ARL has no access to data from other laboratories and regional laboratories do not offer a national service.

Infant Mortality

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infant mortality rate has been in each year since 1997, broken down by socio-economic group.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 October 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the infant mortality rate has been in each year since 1997, broken down by socio-economic group. I am replying in her absence. (92031)
	Socio-economic group is not measured in exactly the same way in the statistics for 1997 to 2004. Until 2000 infant mortality rates were published by Social Class based on father's occupation. In 2001 Social Class was replaced by the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC), and infant mortality figures have been published by NS-SEC. It is not possible to use NS-SEC for data prior to 2001 because there is not a one-to-one equivalence with the pre-2001 classification; an approximation is used, referred to as NS-SEC90 because it is based on the 1990 occupational classification. NS-SEC90 was used specifically to aid interpretation of trends over time in infant mortality.
	The table below shows infant mortality rates in England and Wales by NS-SEC90 from 1997 to 2001 and by NS-SEC from 2001 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures available).
	There is an overall downward trend in all groups. In 2001, special work was undertaken to code data to both NS-SEC90 and NS-SEC. Whilst the rates for 'managerial and professional' and 'routine and manual' occupations are the same, for both classifications, there is a difference of 0.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in the 'intermediate' occupations. This suggests that a slight downward adjustment is needed. Further details are available in: Rowan S. Implications of changes in the UK social and occupational classifications in 2001 on infant mortality statistics. Health Statistics Quarterly 17, 2003, 33-40. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ17.pdf
	
		
			  Infant mortality rates( 1)  by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC)( 2) , England and Wales, 1997-2004 
			  NS-SEC  NS-SEC90 
			  (3-class version)  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			 Managerial and professional occupations 4.3 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.7 
			 Intermediate occupations 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Routine and manual occupations 6.4 5.9 6.5 6.1 6.0 
			 All(3) 5.7 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			  NS-SEC  NS-SEC 
			  (3-class version)  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Managerial and professional occupations 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.3 
			 Intermediate occupations 4.8 5.1 4.4 4.6 
			 Routine and manual occupations 6.0 5.8 6.1 5.7 
			 All(3) 5.1 5.0 4.9 4.8 
			 (1) Deaths under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births  (2) NS-SEC is used for 2001 onwards: NS-SEC90 is used for years 1997-2001  (3) Infants born inside marriage or outside marriage jointly registered by both parents   Source:  ONS

Liver Disease

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) admissions to hospitals to treat alcoholic liver disease and  (b) liver disease deaths there were in each year since 1996.

Caroline Flint: The following tables give detail admissions to hospitals to treat liver disease and liver disease deaths.
	Counts of finished admission episodes where there was a primary diagnosis code for alcoholic liver disease (ICD-10 = K70) national health service hospitals, England 1996-97 to 2004-05.
	
		
			   Finished admission episodes 
			 1996-97 8,073 
			 1997-98 9,148 
			 1998-99 9,412 
			 1999-2000 10,326 
			 2000-01 10,761 
			 2001-02 11,119 
			 2002-03 11,810 
			 2003-04 12,336 
			 2004-05 13,201 
			  Source:Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for Health and Social Care 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of deaths from liver disease, England and Wales, 1996-2004( 2) 
			   Number of deaths from liver disease 
			   All liver disease( 1) ( 2) Of which: alcohol-related 
			 1996 4,194 3,613 
			 1997 4,515 3,951 
			 1998 4,922 4,306 
			 1999 5,111 4,542 
			 2000 5,182 4,627 
			 2001(3) 6,106 5,061 
			 2002(3) 6,353 5,200 
			 2003(3) 6,786 5,700 
			 2004(3) 6,751 5,667 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 570-573 from 1996 to 2000, and using the Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes K70-K77 from 2001 onwards.(2) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 571.0-571.5 and 571.7-571.9 from 1996to 2000, and using the Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes K70, K73, K74. 0-K74.2 and K74.6-K74.9 from 2001 onwards.(3) The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that figures are not completely comparable with data for years before this.

NHS Estate Safety

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of the NHS Estate in England was not  (a) fire safety and  (b) health and safety compliant in (i) March 2005 and (ii) March 2006; and what the estimated cost of the works required to achieve such compliance was at each date in each case;
	(2)  what the cost of the total general repair backlog on the NHS Estate in England was in March  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the percentage of the total patient occupied floor area in the national health service estate in England that is not fire or health and safety compliant has not been collected centrally since 2003-04 when the figures were 7.1 per cent. and 8.8 per cent. respectively. Trusts remain responsible for compliance with fire and health and safety laws and regulations.
	Data provided by the NHS on. the cost of work needed to bring the estate up to fire and health and safety standard is no longer identified separately. The total amount of backlog maintenance is now categorised according to its risk level, as indicated in the following table.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			  Risk level/definition  Backlog maintenance  (£ million)  Percentage  Backlog maintenance  (£ million  Percentage 
			 High risk—Urgent priority work needed to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies resulting in serious injury or prosecution 358.2 11.4 329.9 9.0 
			 Significant risk—Requires short-term expenditure but can be effectively managed to avoid risk to healthcare services or concern to enforcement bodies 778.2 24.8 982.2 26.6 
			 Moderate risk—Requires close control and monitoring but can be managed in the medium term 902.1 28.7 1,219.4 33.1 
			 Low risk—Can be addressed through agreed maintenance programmes or through strategic plans 1,103.2 35.1 1,152.1 31.3 
			 Total 3,141.7 100 3,683.6 100 
			  Notes:  Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. The data provided have not been amended centrally and the accuracy and completeness of this data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Waiting Times

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the  (a) median and  (b) average waiting times are for NHS (i) diagnostic tests, (ii) scans, (iii) internal examinations and (iv) hearing tests;
	(2)  how many patients are waiting for diagnostic tests, broken down by the number of weeks they have been waiting.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made on 12 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 69-70WS. Data is collected on the number of patients waiting at the end of each month for 15 key diagnostic tests, by weekly time-band. To identify any other long diagnostic waits census of waiting times for other tests has also been introduced which identifies waits over 6 and 13 weeks. These data are available at www.performance.doh.gov.uk/diagnostics.
	Median waiting times for the 15 key tests are shown in the table. Median waiting times for other tests cannot be calculated from the information collected through the census. Analysis of the data indicates the average expected wait for patients being referred for one of the 15 key tests is around seven weeks.
	
		
			  Monthly diagnostic data collection - 30 April 2006 
			  Diagnostic test  Median waiting time (weeks)  Average expected wait (weeks) 
			 Magnetic resonance imaging 5.4 7 
			 Computed tomography 2.7 3 
			 Non-obstetric ultrasound 4.1 5 
			 Barium enema 2.8 5 
			 DEXA scan 6.3 10 
			 Audiology—pure tone audiometry 23.1 17 
			 Cardiology—echocardiography 6.2 7 
			 Cardiology—electrophysiology 10.4 14 
			 Neurophysiology—peripheral neurophysiology 11.3 14 
			 Respiratory physiology—sleep studies 7.9 13 
			 Urodynamics—pressures and flows 7.0 12 
			 Colonoscopy 8.7 16 
			 Flexi sigmoidoscopy 6.5 10 
			 Cystoscopy 6.3 10 
			 Gastroscopy 6.3 10